


The President

by lRinna



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Awkward Romance, CEO Uchiha Itachi, F/M, Romantic Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-08-29 08:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16740334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lRinna/pseuds/lRinna
Summary: Haruno Sakura is a hard-working doctor at a prestigious hospital, whose life is about to be turned around by the arrival of a mysterious new Hospital President, Uchiha Itachi. Workplace romance is never easy between two professionals, especially when both are workaholics. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a hospital to put these two together.A cute Hospital AU inspired by many romcoms, perfect for your fluff needs.





	1. Episode I

“You just know the day is going to start bad when the deputy director is going to call a staff meeting first thing.” A tall blonde woman wearing a pristine lab coat walked down polished marble floors, her stylish heels clacking against the stone.

“Don’t be silly Ino. This is probably just to announce voting for the next hospital director, since it’s been a month since Sarutobi-sensei passed away.” Next to the tall blonde woman was a shorter one, also wearing a lab coat. She had short pink hair, and her steps weren’t heard on the floor, for she was wearing worn sneakers.

To a casual observer, the only similarity between these two women would be their profession, for they were both doctors, but that would also be wrong, for one was Yamanaka Ino, Head of the Plastic Surgery department, while the other was Haruno Sakura, Chief of Emergency Medicine. The two of them were best friends, having known each other since childhood.

“If it’s that, then it’s obvious who’s winning.” Ino grinned while Sakura nodded. The two of them stopped at the elevator reserved for staff usage, waiting to ascend to the 14th floor.

“Hello ladies! Heading towards the meeting?” A young man with a wild look joined the two women, a wide smile on his face as he placed an arm around each one in a familiar manner. He was the Chief of Orthopedics, Inuzuka Kiba, infamous in the hospital for his womanizing ways, having dated most doctors and nurses, independent of gender. Sakura uncomfortably removed his arm from around her slim figure, while Ino winked back at him.

They entered the elevator and engaged in small talk as it went up, discussing trivial things like the lunch menu and hospital gossip. As soon as the elevator dinged the 14th floor, Kiba left the two women, for he had spotted his own best friend, a tall man wearing sunglasses.

Sakura and Ino walked to the meeting room keeping pace with the other doctors, and as they got closer, one could barely distinguish them among the army of lab coats. As soon as they entered the auditorium where the meeting was scheduled to take place, the doctors filtered out, splitting themselves in smaller cliques and sitting in various corners of the room.

Sakura also split from Ino, intent on looking for her other best friend, Uzumaki Naruto, Head of Surgery. She spotted him among the crowd easily, for his bright blonde hair stood out among the rest. He was sitting with Hyuuga Hinata the Chief of Pediatrics, and Sakura didn’t have the heart to join them. Hinata’s crush on the male was known by everyone in the hospital, and Sakura wasn’t about to interrupt their moment alone. Instead she turned around and sat next to Tenten, another one of her close friends, and the Head of Women’s Health. The two were chatting happily when Hyuuga Neji, Chief of Oncology, joined them, prompting a frustrated look from Sakura.

“Ah, Sakura-san, it’s so rare to see you at one of these.” Neji greeted her. Sakura forced herself to smile at him. The two had dated briefly, but a bad split had soured their relationship, turning them against each other.

“At the ER we rarely have time to eat, and even less time for staff politics, unlike other departments.” Sakura’s emerald eyes shined like hard rocks, challenging him. He frowned at her implication, but before he could reply, he was interrupted by Tenten.

"Hey you two, stop it. This is clearly something very important for Tsunade-sama to have summoned us all here, so let’s try to be nice and put the hospital before petty grievances?” Tenten wasn’t kind in her words, but they served to ameliorate the two proud doctors. With a final huff from both of them, the three doctors settled in silence until the last person entered the room.

Senju Tsunade, deputy director and Head of Neurosurgery was a female that commanded respect whenever she entered a room. Her steps were strong, her posture firm and her eyes were hard. She was famous for being the first woman to ever achieve such high positions at a hospital, and was the recipient of several awards. Sakura had been her last mentee, and the two of them were quite close. She watched her mentor walk to the center of the stage with a somber look and braced herself for bad news.

“I’m sure you are all wondering why you are here.” Tsunade began addressing the room. “Maybe some of you already know this, but our university has recently been purchased by a private group, which includes this hospital. As is their right, they have appointed a new president to look over the duties of director, in addition to his duties as president.”

Soon the sound of whispers filled the auditorium, medics talking to their neighbors about the new development. The door to the meeting room opened again, and this time, a tall slim male, with black hair and even blacker eyes entered. Next to Sakura, Neji stiffened, looking like he had just swallowed a lemon.

“What’s wrong? Worried that you might lose your spot as top pretty boy?” Sakura teased him. He turned to her with a strong glare and a small hiss. On Sakura’s other side, Tenten snickered at the comment.

“Greetings. I am Uchiha Itachi, your new President and Director. I’m here on behalf of Akatsuki to make sure this hospital runs smoothly and efficiently. I look forward to working with you all.” Uchiha Itachi smiled at his last sentence, and Sakura felt a chill run up his spine. He looked incredibly predatory in his perfectly tailored look and carefully arranged words.

Uchiha Itachi left as soon as he came, leaving many puzzled doctors behind. Sakura wanted to speak to Tsunade, but as soon as she got up from her seat, a call from the ER had her rushing out without saying goodbye to anyone. She ran to the elevator, and seeing the doors beginning to close, quickly yelled out:

“Hold the door!”

The door closed as soon as she got there, but it opened again, revealing the new President inside. Sakura bowed as she entered, pressing the button for the first floor, where the ER was located. She kept her back to him, missing the curious look he was directing towards her. Sakura’s phone rang again and she answered immediately, recognizing the ID as one of her residents.

“Yes, I’m on my way. I wasn’t the idiot who made the ER and the staff meeting room so far away! Keep him stable until I arrive!” Sakura quickly hung up, looking up at the numbers slowly going down. Remembering that she had company, and being hit by a wave of self-consciousness, turned around to address him. “Haruno Sakura, Chief of Emergency Medicine.” She introduced herself.

“I know.” His reply was short, and Sakura was glad the elevator dinged his floor so they wouldn’t have to be in the same elevator anymore.

 

* * *

 

Sakura didn’t think about Itachi anymore until the next day, when she was having lunch with Naruto at the cafeteria.

“You remember him, right, Sakura-chan?”

Sakura looked up from the Konoha University Hospital newsletter she was reading on her phone to face Naruto, wondering if she had missed something he said.

“I’m sorry, who?” Sakura asked, embarrassed that she was caught not paying attention to him.

“Uchiha Itachi! He’s the teme’s older brother!” Naruto explained patiently, and suddenly things made more sense to Sakura.

“Naruto, I haven’t seen or heard from Sasuke-san since high school, and even in high school, we weren’t close. I might have been to his house maybe once, and I would not remember his older brother.” Sakura had to remember to Naruto that although the two of them had gone to the same high school, they had only become friends in college, once Naruto had matured.

“Ah yeah. Sorry Sakura-chan, sometimes it feels like we’ve been friends forever!” Naruto’s big grin had Sakura blushing a little. Sometimes he was a little too honest about his feelings in her opinion. “But yeah, Sasuke-teme hated his older brother, and he used to say he was the worst! I’m worried for our hospital Sakura-chan!” Naruto had a worried gleam to his eyes, which Sakura dismissed. From the little she remembered of Sasuke, he had been a spoiled, haughty brat that was mean to everyone.

She took the time to look around at all the doctors and nurses in the cafeteria, enjoying their meals and conversing happily. Sakura loved the hospital as much as anyone else did, but even she was not naive enough to think it was perfect.

“People change with time, Naruto. Maybe he’s not that bad.”

Sakura had a chance to swallow her own words that same day, when an email from Uchiha Itachi’s office carried the profitability of each department, with hers at the very bottom, in the red. To make matters worse, Hyuuga Neji’s Cancer Center was at the very top, inflaming her even more.

Sakura marched to his office, intent on figuring out why he did something that had offended her so. She thought he was slandering her department, especially with the one sentence that he had written on the document:

**Some departments should consider change in order to increase their numbers.**

Sakura stalked past the empty desk in front of his office and barged in without bothering to knock. He was sitting at his desk, conversing with another man.

“That will be all, Kisame.” Itachi ended his conversation immediately. Kisame looked more like a mafia hitmen than a secretary, Sakura thought. He left without further word, but threw a very interested stare at Sakura as he walked past her. As soon as the door closed behind her, Sakura breached the remaining distance between her and his desk, positioning herself in front of it. She took a deep breath before slamming the paper she had been grasping on his desk.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Itachi took the time to politely glance at what she had rudely presented to him, his own attachment with the numbers for each department. He redirected his attention to the infuriated medic in front of him and linked his hands together, tapping one finger.

“Good evening to you too, Haruno-san. How may I help you?” Itachi’s complete calm only enraged Sakura further.

“Why did you publish the department earnings?! And not just that, implying that we are all behind some magical profit number?” She practically yelled out.

“Ah, that was merely a motivator, to see if some departments might be encouraged to leave the red.” His eyes flashed dangerously and his smile tightened. Sakura’s glare intensified at his challenge and she leaned in.

“Oh excuse me, but do you have any idea on how an emergency room works? According to our country’s laws, we cannot refuse patients, even those who cannot pay. As such it is expected that Emergency Rooms operate in the red, and hospitals even receive incentives from the government.” Sakura’s tone had become deathly calm, and Itachi raised an eyebrow. She thought she had the argument won, but she was grossly outmatched.

“But of course, Haruno-san. I may not have graduated from a medical school, but I am quite familiar with Japan’s medical policies, and I have always expected your department to run red. However, since we both know that your department will always be running at a loss, why have you come here so upset? If my memory serves, you rejected a promising and profitable career as a neurosurgeon under your mentor Tsunade to specialize in emergency care. If you chose that path, why do you care that your department is in the red?” Itachi’s predatory smile had returned, and Sakura backed off.

“I don’t! I just…!” Sakura thought of how Neji’s department spearheaded the list and blushed wildly. “I don’t want to be evaluated on my capacity to make money because I am at a disadvantage!” Sakura took several steps backwards, regretting her decision.

“Well, Haruno-san, then I see no reason to continue this further. If you please…” Itachi extended a hand towards the door and Sakura walked to it, all fight in her extinguished. “Furthermore, Haruno-san, I hope you no longer enter my office so rudely.” His final words carried a distinct threat and Sakura hastened her exit, promising herself to avoid that dangerous man in the future.

Unfortunately for Sakura, her plan to avoid him lasted only a short week, when Tsunade came to her on a slow Monday, followed by Uchiha Itachi himself.

“Ah, Sakura, there you are. Uchiha-san has been visiting all the departments and yours is next on the list. Make sure to show him around properly.” Tsunade dumped the expressionless Uchiha on Sakura with wicked glee. News of Sakura’s trip to his office had already reached her ears, and she was curious to see what would happen next. Tsunade had thought that hospital gossip was at an all-time low, so she hoped something exciting would come out of Itachi and Sakura.

“Ah, of course, shishou. Please follow me, Uchiha-sama.” Sakura quickly slipped into the polite persona she reserved for her most troublesome patients, intent on not showing any weakness. He followed her mostly in silence, only occasionally asking her a question.

They were almost finished with the tour when a nurse ran up to Sakura.

“Haruno-sensei, there was a building collapse nearby, we got three injured workers coming in! One of them is in a critical state!”

Sakura immediately forgot the Uchiha, focusing on the upcoming injured men. She quickly started yelling out orders to several nurses, doctors and residents. Itachi watched as she commanded her men as a general would command their troops.

“Notify Naruto in case we need to send any of them to him and page Haru-san. We may need him to start his shift early.” She stepped through the ER doors to wait for the ambulances outside.

The first one was quickly examined and delegated to the residents, for he showed signs of a mild concussion and needed but a few stitches. The second one was more injured than the first, with blood all over him. Sakura had him wheeled inside, and after handing him to Doctor Nakia’s care, she went back to the exit for the last one. The third and final arrival was the critical patient, and Itachi watched as Sakura was wheeled in atop the patient, trying to resuscitate him.

By the time she was done, Sakura was stained with blood, sweat and salines that one of the patients had knocked into her. But she was proud, for all three men would live, thanks to her and Naruto’s assistance with a surgery on the last one. She was ready to clean up and go home when she spotted Itachi, standing by the nurse’s station. It was only then that she realized they had never finished their tour.

“Ah, Uchiha-sama… I’m sorry I…” Sakura began to apologize, but she was interrupted by him.

“Please, Haruno-san, no need to apologize. You’ve supplied me with the most fascinating demonstration. I’ll be heading back to my office, so please clean up and rest.”

He left soon after, and Sakura was too tired to say anything to stop him. With the satisfaction of having saved lives, she went to the ER Staff Room, thinking only of a hot shower.

News of Uchiha Itachi’s tours occupied the hospital and the tip of people’s tongues. With Ino as her best friend, Sakura was privy to all the details.

“When he came to us, he barely said anything. Not that a man that gorgeous would ever need anything from our department.” Ino was hanging out in Sakura’s barely used office, while the latter wrote up reports on her resident’s monthly performance.

“Ino, please contain yourself. I’m sure he wouldn’t like you throwing yourself at him.” Sakura looked up from her work to throw her friend a worried glance.

“Forehead Girl, I told you I’m going to try my luck with Shikamaru again. He’s not going to say no to me a third time.” Ino flicked her long ponytail back and Sakura looked at her friend’s hair with a tinge of jealousy. Her own pink locks were kept short, and could barely be tied back when needed. Sakura simply didn’t have the time to look after them. “Besides, from what I hear, I’m not even his type. A cousin of a friend of mine, who went to college with him told me he’s gay.”

Sakura rose her eyebrows while Ino nodded emphatically with a conspiratory smile.

“Well, I don’t have anything against him being gay. Might be best, knowing some of our nurses…” Sakura shrugged, returning to her work.

“Still, it’s a damn shame. A gorgeous man like that…” Ino’s sentence ended in a wistful sigh, as Sakura shook her head at her best friend.

 

* * *

 

 

Work kept Sakura busy until the end of the month, and she didn’t pay any attention to what the Uchiha was doing until the next staff meeting. She was planning on skipping it, but too many people insisted she come. Now, Sakura was standing at the 14th floor, chatting with Shizune and Kurenai by the door of the meeting room. The two older women were heads of Pharmacy and Nutrition, respectively, and they were both complaining about Uchiha Itachi’s new policies.

“Who is he to tell me what sort of compounds to use? He doesn’t even have a medical degree!” Shizune complained.

“He’s been giving you specifications on what to use?” Sakura asked, surprised.

“A whole bunch of them! Everyone’s got them too! What drugs to give to patients, recommended treatments, exams to do, not to mention the new insurance and pricing policies! He’s been messing around with everyone. Why do you think we’re holding this meeting?” Kurenai said. Tsunade joined them at the end of the woman’s spiel, herding the three inside.

Sakura was surprised to hear everyone complaining about Uchiha Itachi and wondered if maybe her computer was faulty. Other than a few small administrative requirements about her residents, her ER hadn’t received any of the changes mentioned by the others and Sakura wondered why. She stayed silent the entire meeting, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. After everyone had voiced their complaints, the doctors looked to Tsunade for guidance. She thought for a while and finally voiced her opinion.

“Obviously we cannot have someone like him telling us how to do our jobs, but we have to approach this situation wisely. I’ll speak to Uchiha-san myself and air our grievances to him. If he doesn’t ease up, we will go on strike.”

At the word strike, a deathly silence befell the hall. Doctors didn’t go on strike until it was a last-case scenario, and Sakura didn’t think their president’s actions warranted such drastic measures. Shortly after that, the meeting came to a close, and Sakura found herself taking the stairs down, wanting to sort her thoughts. To her surprise, Hinata joined her.

“Hello Sakura-san.” Hinata greeted her. Sakura returned the greeting kindly, wondering what had prompted the Chief of Pediatrics to seek her out. “I noticed that you were quite silent during the meeting. I haven’t had much interference at all in my department, just some minor administrative things that that have made my workload easier. How about you?” Hinata commented.

“Same here. I don’t think it’s grounds for a strike… I think Tsunade-sama is overdoing it.” Sakura spoke in a low tone. They were alone, but sometimes she could swear even the hospital walls had ears.

“Yeah… I mean, my department was one of those in the red, but we haven’t faced any complaints from his office. Meanwhile my cousin says that Uchiha-sama has been breathing down his neck.” Hinata confessed. Sakura nodded, noticing their situations were very similar.

Thinking about it further made Sakura wonder if there was something beyond what she was seeing. During the time she had been working directly under Tsunade, she had been exposed to hospital politics. Part of the reason why she had chosen Emergency Medicine was her desire to avoid such politics.

“Even if it comes to a strike, per hospital rules, everyone has to vote on it, and some essential departments have to keep operating, so it won’t affect me. But you be careful. It seems most our colleagues are very unhappy with our president, so I wouldn’t go around supporting him.” Sakura advised Hinata. The two of them had become friends and frequently had patients together, since most of the children that came to the ER were directed to Hinata’s department.

Hinata nodded at Sakura, and the two of them exited the stairwell, choosing to take an elevator for the rest of the way.

Sakura kept thinking about the hospital politics, and with a few questions here and there, she quickly had a better picture of what was going on. Uchiha Itachi was using the departments that naturally made more money like Oncology, Neurology, Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery to make up for the deficit of Pediatrics, Emergency Room, Surgery and Women’s Health. He was literally taking from the rich and giving to the poor.

No wonder Tsunade-sama is so upset, she loves to siphon money into her own department… Sakura thought, as she looked over the document that was now a month old. I can't condemn his policies, for so far he hasn’t made any bad recommendations. Shizune-san is known for preferring more expensive brand names, and there are rumors surrounding Kurenai-san taking incentives from some brands too. Overall Sakura could not fault his decisions, but she had to admit that he was pissing off some very important people in the hospital.

Sakura was sitting in her favorite spot, the two comfortable armchairs in the very back corner of the 8th floor, where there was once a gift shop that had been closed a few years back. Nobody ever visited that empty area, and it was the perfect spot for her to find some alone time.

Sakura’s plan was quickly interrupted by the man that had been plaguing her thoughts: Uchiha Itachi. He had just entered by the emergency fire escape door that was right by her hiding spot.

“Ah, my apologies, I didn’t think there would be anyone else here.” He was about to turn around and leave when Sakura stopped him.

“Uchiha-sama, please, there are two chairs.” She motioned towards the free chair to her right, and he hesitated before taking it. Sakura closed her eyes and returned to her own thoughts, intent on leaving him be. However the knowledge of his presence, so close to her, quickly distracted her, causing her to open her eyes to look at him.

He was staring right back at her, and they remained locked in a contest of wills for a while longer, until Sakura finally looked away. Ino might have been a shameless flirt but she was right, Uchiha Itachi was a godly specimen of a man.

“Haruno-san, your resident reports are late. They were due yesterday.” He broke the silence. She turned to look at him again, to find him staring at his smartphone.

“I’m sorry, one of them wasn’t on call yesterday to give me his patient attendance records, and without those I cannot perform an accurate evaluation.” Sakura apologized. He put away his phone and returned to looking at her, with mild interest in his eyes.

“I’ve noticed your department has the least residents of all. I assume it is because not everyone is drawn to Emergency Care?”

“You’d be correct. It’s hard, grueling work, with long hours and not as much prestige as some other fields. I consider myself lucky to even have three of them. I believe Suna General Hospital only has two.” Sakura agreed with his assessment, surprised at his insight.

“You’re familiar with Suna General?” Itachi asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Sakura watched his curious demeanor with interest, wondering how someone could have such polite gestures.

“Yeah, all the Emergency Rooms know each other. We have to be able to coordinate with paramedics and each other in case a big emergency happens. Things like distribution of patients, available care… I’m quite familiar with Chiyo-san and Gaara.” Sakura replied without much thought, glancing at her watch to see how many minutes she had left on her break.

“You’re familiar enough with the Director of Suna General to call him with such informality?” Itachi’s voice had dropped an octave, and Sakura scolded herself for not being cautious enough around him. Her friendship with Gaara was not something she liked to advertise.

“We went to the same middle school and high school because our families lived close. I’ve known him and his siblings since I was young. Yes, he did invite me to join his hospital a few times, but Konoha is my alma mater and… I’ve dedicated my entire youth to this hospital and this school. I love it too much.” Sakura replied, facing him with her honesty. He didn’t ask any more questions after her passionate response, and the two remained in silence until the end of her break.

Sakura got up to leave, and with a polite bow to him, walked towards the emergency exit, to make her way downstairs.

“Haruno-san.” He stopped her by calling her name. “Don’t forget the resident reports you owe me.”

Sakura wanted to turn around to glare at him for his infuriating tone, but managed to control herself, instead giving him a curt nod. As she made her way down, she thought of him, how he managed to always get under her skin.

 

* * *

 

Nobody knew exactly what had transpired between Tsunade and Itachi when she had visited him, but a call for a strike never happened, and his policies continued to reign the hospital grounds. Most of the staff wasn’t against it, but there were a few that simply could not let it rest, and their leader was one Hyuuga Neji.

Sakura was enjoying a late dinner at the almost empty hospital cafeteria when Neji took the empty seat across from her. She glared at him, wishing that he’d stop ruining her peaceful moment, but he did not take the hint, instead settling down and placing his hands on the table.

“So, I hear you’re familiar with the Uchiha.”

Sakura swallowed her fish abruptly, coughing as it went down. Neji scooted her glass of water closer to her and she grabbed it with force, taking large gulps. Once she had regained control of herself, she frowned at him.

“Where the hell did you get that stupid notion?” Sakura asked, upset at being the subject of gossip.

“Here and there. You’ve been to his office, you were seen having a moment by the old gift shop.” Neji shrugged.

Sakura cursed herself for being too nice and offering a seat to the Uchiha.

“We weren’t having a moment. He was telling me that my resident reports were overdue.” Sakura focused on her meal, hoping to chase Neji away with a boring half-truth.

“Right, just as we didn’t have a moment when I came to you asking for medical opinions I didn’t need as an excuse to see you.” Neji replied in a bored tone. Sakura stared at him in shock, her rice falling from the chopsticks midway to the her mouth.

“Excuse me? My medical opinions weren’t needed? Then why did you even bother!” She replied, upset at his words.

“When you spend all your time holed up in that ER playing hard to get a man has to make plausible excuses. What did you want me to do? Show up without reason?” Neji scoffed, and Sakura was yet again reminded over why she broke up with him.

“Yes! You don’t need to make up a reason to see someone you like! You just go see them, say something nice and done! It’s this kind of stupid, prideful behaviour that destroyed our relationship.” Sakura glared at the man, pushing her food away, no longer hungry.

“Our relationship was fine. You were the one that didn’t want to take it to the next step. Don’t put this on me.” Neji crossed his arms, glaring back. Around them, the very few people still around were watching the scene unfold.

“Oh right, it’s my fault I didn’t want to give up my career to become Hyuuga Neji’s housewife. I don’t have any dirt on the Uchiha, I barely even know the guy, and even if I did, you’d be the last person I’d give it to, you insufferable repugnant prick!” Sakura got up, yelling the last words out. She was starting to stalk off and leave when she hit a hard obstacle. Looking up, it was none other than Uchiha Itachi himself, looking placidly bemused, having witnessed her explosion. Sakura glared at him, still seething from her previous encounter.

“Is there a problem, Haruno-san?” Itachi asked, a small smirk at the corner of his lips.

Sakura threw her hands up in a sigh of frustration.

“This hospital is my problem! It’s filled with irredeemable arrogant males! If you two have to compete over who has the biggest genital system, don’t drag me into it!” Sakura pointed at both males during her tirade, and elicited snorts and giggles from her crowd. She walked off the other way, passing by Neji and the other watchers, exiting from the opposite direction Itachi had come from.

As she knew would happen, the next morning Ino came to her office first thing, a wide grin on the blonde’s lips.

“Sakura you sly thing! First the Hyuuga and now the Uchiha? From what I hear the two are fighting over you!” Ino’s voice had a glee to it that caused Sakura to drop her head on her desk, causing a loud bang.

“Ino, please. They’re not fighting over me, they’re fighting over who has the scariest last name.” Sakura said, her words muffled by her desk.

“Not what I hear, Forehead Girl. I heard that Neji is totally obsessed with you, and still has a picture of you on his top drawer.” Ino smiled, a little too happy at her best friend’s plight. Sakura had always been a magnet for the juiciest gossip. Sakura turned her head around to look at her best friend’s pleased grin.

“That’s ridiculous. If he still likes me, why is he mean and keeps picking fights with me?” Sakura pouted.

“Ah Sakura, Neji still hasn’t grown beyond first grade, where the best way to tell a girl you liked her was by pulling her hair and calling her ugly.” Ino explained to Sakura wisely. The other woman laughed at her best friend’s assessment of her ex-boyfriend.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, I am not dating him again. You know I don’t double dip. When it’s over, I’m done.” Sakura picked her head up from her desk, looking at the clock with a sigh. Her shift was almost done, and she’d be away for the whole weekend.

“So you’re choosing the Uchiha then? I totally understand, have you seen the suits he wears? I bet he’s a beast in bed.” Ino licked her lips as Sakura shook her head at her friend.

“Ino you know me, this is all just hospital gossip. Besides, you’ve seen him. He’s much more likely to be with someone gorgeous like you, than me. I look like a dog that crawled out of a gutter.” Sakura complained, getting up from her chair and walking towards her small closet, putting away her doctor’s jacket.

“Sakura, you’re just as pretty as me, if not prettier. You know I’ve done work to get to where I’m at. You got all that natural beauty in you that women pay me for. All you need to do is clean up, dress up and you’ll be gorgeous. Come on, this Saturday we’re still going out to that new club, yeah? You don’t come in again until Monday anyways.” Ino soothed her best friend, dropping the teasing completely. She knew that while Sakura was a magnet for gossip, more often than not, it was all baseless conjecture, and that her best friend was simply a very serious workaholic with self-esteem issues. Ino walked with the tired Sakura all the way to the door to the garage, and it was only after she had returned to her own office that she realized that Sakura had never truly rejected the notion of dating the Uchiha, only that she thought she wasn’t good enough. I can work with that, Ino thought.

By Saturday afternoon Sakura felt like a new woman. She was able to clean the house that was never messy, stock the fridge she barely used, and wash the car she barely drove.

“I’m telling you mom, I’m almost never home and when I am, I’m too tired to do anything so I just sleep. You don’t need to come over to help me with anything. No mom, the hospital isn’t overworking me, I just choose to sleep over there because I’m too lazy to come sleep at home. Okay, sure. Love you too. Bye.” Sakura ended her phone call with her mother, staring at her mostly bare living room. All of her furniture was practically brand-new from lack of use, and she didn’t have many personal knick knacks about, preferring to keep things practical.

Her doorbell rang, and Sakura answered it, welcoming Ino to her home. They stepped into the living room, Ino carrying a large bag.

“I know I always say this, but your house is so organized. It looks straight out of one of those home catalogs my mother loves.” Ino commented, looking around.

“Well, I’m never home to make a mess of it. You’ve seen my office, it’s complete chaos. Want some water?” Sakura offered, getting up to the kitchen.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Sakura returned with two glasses of water, handing one to Ino and sitting down next to her.

“So, what’s with the bag?” Sakura asked, eyeing the large thing.

“I’m so glad you asked.” Ino grinned predatorily.

Ino’s bag contained a wide variety of outfits that were a little too revealing for Sakura’s tastes, all of them in a wide variety of shapes and colors, complete with matching heels and accessories.

“I’m so glad we’re the same size, Forehead Girl. We’re going clubbing tonight, and you have to let me doll you up!”

It had been a tradition started in their days of college, that whenever Sakura consented to go clubbing with Ino, the blonde got to dress Sakura up however she wanted. Sakura always felt that she looked her best when Ino did it, so with time she had grown to enjoy both the process and the result, even if the clubbing part tended to give her a headache and feet pains.

“Okay pig, hit me with your magic wand.”

When Ino was done, Sakura could barely recognize herself. Her short pink hair was down and straightened, like a modern curtain, tickling her shoulders. She was wearing a form-fitting cocktail dress, with a shoulderless black top and a striped pencil skirt bottom. The dress stopped just before her knees, leaving her long legs exposed. Her feet were encased in a pair of red platform pumps, increasing her height, and matching the stripes of her dress in color. She was a vision in pink, black and red, looking like a modern, smart woman.

“Ah, I’m _so_ good.” Ino admired her handiwork.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time.” Sakura whispered, still entranced by her image.

“Good, now let me just finish my hair and we can call a cab to hit the town!”

Half an hour later, the two were standing in front of a fancy looking club called Jashin. Ino flashed a smile and a wink to the bouncer, who allowed them immediate entrance, despite the long line of people outside. Sakura braced herself for the loud brash music and was surprised to hear loud electronic that didn’t sound too bad. It wasn’t long until she was tapping her fingers to the rhythm of the song.

“Do you want to dance a little first before hitting the bar?” Ino asked, straining her voice to be heard. Sakura nodded and the two joined the pulsating mass of people in the dance floor. Sakura found herself enjoying the beat and letting go, dancing next to Ino without a care. They were occasionally approached by other men, but the two women didn’t care for them, and they all quickly gave up. Eventually Sakura could feel her feet hurt, and grabbing Ino’s arm, motioned to the bar. The blonde nodded and the two made their way to the drinks lounge.

They found two empty seats by the edge, and Ino ordered two Daiquiris before Sakura could complain.

“Just one, Forehead Girl, it’ll do you some good!”

“Ino, I’m always on call! If something happens I need to be able to go to the ER at any time!” Sakura bemoaned.

“One drink won’t impair your judgement, especially after you burn some of it off on that dance floor!” Ino replied and Sakura relented. She was feeling particularly good that night and supposed that one drink wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. The good looking bartender returned with their drinks and a charming smile, saying a gentleman from upstairs had paid for them.

The two girls looked up to the vip lounge to see a bored looking Shikamaru, who motioned towards the stairs. Sakura wondered if Ino had set this all up, but she looked even more surprised than Sakura. Holding their drinks, they made their way to the stairs, where a big man allowed them through. Carefully climbing up, they met with Shikamaru upstairs, where the noise levels weren’t as loud, allowing them to speak without yelling.

“What are you doing here?” Ino asked, completely shocked to see the laziest man in the hospital in the most unlikely place.

“I came with a friend.” Shikamaru replied in a haggard tone, sounding as if he’d rather be anywhere else. They followed him to the back of the vip lounge, where they met Uchiha Itachi and another man, with pale purple hair and purple eyes.

“Uchiha-sama.” Sakura and Ino greeted him with polite bows. Sakura’s head was spinning. How did Shikamaru come to be in this place, with Uchiha Itachi of all people, she asked herself.

“Please, outside of the hospital, you may all call me Uchiha-san. There’s no need for all the formality. Do sit down.” He motioned to the empty seats. Shikamaru quickly dropped in one, slouching. Ino took the seat next to him, leaving Sakura to sit by the Uchiha. “This is my friend, Hidan. He’s the owner of this bar, and one of the members of Akatsuki.”

“Man, Itachi-san, you’re such a fucking prude. We’re at a goddam club, can you drop the fucking politeness bullshit? I’m Hidan, I own this and several other clubs, pleasure to fucking meet you, pinky and ponytail.”

Sakura was shocked at the language used by the man, and looked to Itachi, who was looking at the ceiling, as if asking the heavens for patience.

“Still, it’s a surprise to see you here, Shikamaru. This isn’t your type of venue.” Sakura tried to make small talk, trying to break the awkward silence after Hidan spoke.

“Itachi-san dragged me here. We saw you two when you arrived, and yeah…” Shikamaru trailed off. Sakura rose an eyebrow to Ino, in silent communication. The blonde didn’t miss her cue:

“Itachi-san? I wasn’t aware you were so familiar with our president, Shika.” Ino smiled at him, inching closer to the Chief of Anesthesia.

“Shikamaru-san and I became friends when we started participating in the same Shogi league.” Itachi replied as Shikamaru muttered a troublesome. Hidan excused himself from the conversation, leaving their group in search of another, less boring one.

“That must be why you didn’t vote on Neji’s thing.” Ino commented to herself, drawing the attention of Sakura, while Shikamaru slouched further, as if he wanted to be swallowed by his chair.

“What thing?” Sakura asked.

“Hyuuga-san proposed a vote of no-confidence against me last night. Needless to say, very few supported him.” Itachi replied smoothly, an amused look in his eyes. Sakura shook her head, disappointed in Neji’s silly attempt. “In fact, none of you three voted.” Itachi noted, his voice silky.

“I was not at the hospital.” Sakura shrugged. She wouldn’t have voted on it anyways, but it was nice to have a convenient excuse.

“I don’t mind you. Sure you’re a bit of an asshole, taking away the money I make, but you bought that new laser I put in a request for so it’s alright.” Ino flipped her hair back and took another sip of her drink.

“I’m not into this politics business.” Shikamaru sighed. Sakura nodded, agreeing with him.

Ino gulped the last of her drink and eyed Shikamaru predatorily. Sakura sighed, knowing what would come next. Just as she expected, Ino dragged Shikamaru off to the dance floor, intent on continuing on with her plan of seduction, leaving Sakura and Itachi alone.

“They seem quite close.” Itachi commented. Sakura watched them reach the dance floor from her vantage point, Ino’s platinum blonde ponytail sticking out in the dark.

“Yeah, I’ve known Ino since primary school, but she’s known him since they were babies. Their families are quite close. I think she’s always wanted him but he’s well, it’s hard to tell.” Sakura replied, still watching her friend.

"I thought Yamanaka-san was a shameless flirt.”

“She totally is, but she’s serious about him. I’ve never seen her pick a boyfriend over Shikamaru. That’s probably why none of her relationships have worked out so far.” Sakura finally turned to face the Uchiha and found him staring at her again. She thought he stared a lot, and unabashedly too.

“Do you believe in love at first sight, Sakura-san?” He asked, the lights of the club casting shadows in his eyes, making them unreadable. Sakura didn’t even notice the usage of her first name, so focused she was on him.

“I don’t. I think love is something that’s built, by both parties, upon a foundation of trust and respect.” Sakura was no longer sure if they were still talking of Ino and Shikamaru or of something completely different.

“I assume that is why your relationship with Hyuuga Neji didn’t work out? He did not respect you?” Itachi leaned in, and Sakura could smell his cologne, which was probably pretty expensive based on the quality of it, she thought.

“Yes… He wanted me to quit my job…” Sakura replied, almost entranced by him. She couldn’t help but respond to him.

“Quite fortunate that you didn’t, I think. It’d be a great loss to the _hospital_ to not have you there.” Itachi leaned back on his seat, breaking the spell he had on Sakura, who was surprised to find she had also been leaning forward. Before she could think of why he had said hospital with that particular intonation, a scream erupted behind Sakura, startling her.

Sakura turned around to see a panicked girl looking at a body that was convulsing on the floor. Medical instinct taking over, Sakura quickly ran to the writhing body, noting that it was a young male, with very wide open pupils, practically foaming at the mouth.

“I’m a doctor, let me look at him!” Sakura kneeled next to the young man, noticing he was also sweating a lot, and his fists were clenched. Quickly running through different cases in her head, she pressed her fingers to his neck, trying to get a pulse. After a minute, she turned to the now crying girl.

“What did he take?”

“I… I…” The girl was in a state of panic and couldn’t seem to make a coherent sentence. Next to her, Itachi leaned down.

“I’ve already called an ambulance, Sakura-san.” Itachi informed her, but Sakura shook her head.

“He won’t live to the hospital, I’ve seen another case like him this past week. I need vodka, Shikamaru and Ino!” Itachi left her alone to seek the things she needed, and Sakura turned to the sobbing girl on the floor. She slapped her, stopping her hysterics. “I need to know what he took and how long ago it has been!”

“It was a new drug… E-Elysium I think… H-He had one before we c-came here and t-then he took another one and t-this happened.” The girl stuttered and Sakura nodded.

Hidan arrived with a recently opened bottle of vodka and a string of expletives.

“Fucking junkies I swear to fucking Jashin, we don’t want any of that shit in here but they fucking smuggle it in anyways I fucking swear if the cops make any shit for us…”  
  
Sakura grabbed the bottle and pulled Hidan down.

“I’m gonna need you to help hold him down, can you do that?” She asked, unscrewing the bottle open, and pouring some over her hands. Hidan nodded.

Shikamaru, Ino and Itachi arrived soon after, and Itachi started sending people away to clear them some room. Sakura turned to Shikamaru, who quickly crouched next to her, observing the man.

“Narcotics?” He asked immediately. Sakura nodded.

“I’m going to do an impromptu stomach wash on him, it hasn’t been that long since he took the second dose. I need your help holding him down, and when I say go, you’re letting him go. Is that okay with both of you? Ino, after he goes down you’re going to need to help him so he doesn’t choke.” Sakura gave out instructions and everyone was quickly in position. Itachi came closer, to watch what they were about to do.

Sakura shoved her alcohol-doused hand in the man’s mouth, reaching into his throat to force a gag reaction. At her call, Hidan and Shikamaru let go, and Sakura and Ino turned him sideways. The patient puked all over the floor, Sakura’s dress, Shikamaru’s pants and Itachi’s shoes. After he was done and heaving, they turned him on his back, Ino massaging his throat and chest. Sakura looked down at the spillage, feeling bad for ruining Ino’s dress. She quickly spotted a blue pill and picked it up, dropping it in a empty cup.

Shortly after, the ambulance arrived, followed by the police. Hidan closed the bar, emptying it of patrons, except for the ones directly involved in the incident.

“Ah Itachi-san, I’d say nice to see you, but under the circumstances…”  
  
“That’s quite alright, Genma-san.”

Sakura observed the interaction curiously. Apparently Uchiha Itachi also knew people on the police force. She had just spoken to that man, who had introduced himself as Detective Shiranui Genma, of the narcotics department. She had heard of him before through hospital gossip, since there had been a rumor involving him and Shizune. Sakura had reported to him everything that had happened in a clear and concise manner, not being unfamiliar with the occasional police interview.

She sat by listening to Itachi’s own accounts of events, which were quite similar to her own. The two were among the last to be interviewed, the detective having already spoken to Ino and Shikamaru. She spaced off, thinking of the pill she had shown to the Detective. Just earlier that week, she had another case of a young man, who had died on the ambulance to the ER, showing the same symptoms as this one. She hadn’t been able to save that one, but she did save this one.

“Well, thanks for that Itachi-san. If I have any more questions, I know how to reach you.” The detective turned to address Sakura. “You too, Haruno-sensei. I’ve heard good things from Izumo-san about you, and I can see they were all true. We’ve never had one of them survive before, and this will be a great help in getting this dangerous drug off the streets.” Genma bowed to Sakura, who nodded absent-mindedly. She couldn’t see Ino anywhere and wondered where her friend had gone.

“I’m sorry Shiranui-san, but have you seen my friend Ino? I can’t seem to spot her.”

“I believe she has left with the other young man we interviewed.”

Sakura cursed Ino for leaving with Shikamaru and leaving her there to fend for herself. Her clothes stained with vomit, no cabbie would want to take her home. Sakura took her phone to look at bus and subway times as Genma left, leaving her alone with Itachi. Sakura sighed when she saw that it was too late to catch either the bus or the train.

“Sakura-san, if you require assistance to get home, I’d be more than willing to offer you a ride.” Itachi offered, surprising Sakura.

“Ah, but I’m all…” Sakura looked down to the mess that was her once beautiful dress.

“That’s alright, Sakura-san. I am dirty too. I was having my car washed anyways.” Itachi smiled politely. Sakura couldn’t help but smile back gratefully. Taking a private car was certainly preferable to any other alternative.

They walked in silence to the parking area, only a few cars remaining. He directed them to the slightly bigger car on the corner, a black suv that she remembered once seeing in a tv commercial as a luxury car. He opened the door for her and Sakura hopped in, surprised at how neat and spacious it was. She settled comfortably on the leather seats, feeling bad when pulling the seatbelt in front of her.

The car ride to her home was also silent, for Sakura was too tired to make small talk, and Itachi had turned on some music, a low classical tune helping lull Sakura into a sense of comfort. Their silence was only broken whenever Sakura would give out a direction towards her house, and soon they arrived. Itachi made sure to get up and open the door for her, charming her with his chivalry.

“Well, thanks for the ride home.” Sakura looked down, suddenly embarrassed. She saw his stained shoes and felt bad for him. “Would you… Do you want to come inside for some coffee, or tea?” She offered out of the blue. She didn’t know why she didn’t want to quite split from him yet.

“Thank you, Sakura-san. Perhaps some other time?” He smiled at her and Sakura felt the sting of rejection pierce her heart, upsetting her more than she expected. Forcing a smile, she bid him a hasty goodbye and quickly retreated into the safety of her home.

Once inside, she removed her stained clothes, feeling almost as bad as they looked.

Sakura was surprised she didn’t hear from Ino until Monday, when her friend texted her to meet her at her office for lunch. Sakura took the stairs, looking to avoid any potential elevator encounters with Itachi. She was practically huffing when she got to Ino’s floor, and promised herself to exercise more.

The blonde was waiting for Sakura with burgers from Sakura’s favorite burger joint, and Sakura wondered if she already knew about her rejection.

“Oh Forehead Girl, I’m so so happy. Guess what I’ve been doing all weekend after that thing at the club?” Ino opened up one of the bags with great enthusiasm.

“Uh, marathoning something on Ninjaflix?” Sakura replied. That’s what she had done all her sunday, crying over romantic comedies. Sakura was the type of person that cries every movie, and many tears were shed.

“No, silly! I was enjoying Shikamaru’s bed, of course! That man may be lazy, but he has the stamina of a God!” Ino giggled. Sakura couldn’t help but be happy for her friend.

“I’m so glad, tell me all about it!”

Ino related her sexcapade with Shikamaru in great detail, and the two were finished with their food by the time she was done.

“How about you? Did Itachi offer to drive you home?” Ino asked, curious if her small plan had worked.

“Yes, he did.” Sakura averted her eyes.

“And?"

“And once we got to my place, I asked him if he wanted to come in for coffee or tea and he said no, because I mean who would, I was totally a mess and I even made a mess of his probably super fancy italian shoes. I thought who knows, maybe I have a shot right, but nope.” Sakura blurted out what she was holding in since that night, completely surprising Ino.

“Whoa, hold your horses, girl! What did he say? Very specifically? Did he say no? Or was it something else? This is very important.” Ino asked, curious for more details.

“I think his words were: thank you, but maybe another time?” Sakura thought to that night.

“Oh this makes a big difference, Sakura! From what I see, that man means his word, so if he said another time, then that means you still have a shot! Let me guess, he only drove off after you were inside?” Ino’s smile was growing as fast as the spark of hope in Sakura’s heart.

“Yeah…”  
  
“Ooooh, Forehead Girl, we’re going to fish you an Uchiha!”


	2. Episode II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Disclaimer: I have absolutely no knowledge of medicine, so any medical scenario in my story should be taken with the appropriate suspension of disbelief.

“Ino, this idea is stupid, it’s going to completely backfire! It never even works in the movies…” Sakura frowned at her best friend.

“Sakura, movies are not accurate depictions of reality. This is fine, here.” Ino tapped Sakura’s phone, prompting a call to go out. The two women stared at the phone in suspense until a voice came through, prompting a squeak from Sakura.

“Sakura?”

“Sasori-kun! Hello! Yes, it’s me, Sakura!” Sakura glared at Ino, mortified with the whole situation. The blonde just poked her tongue out.

“What sort of problem have you gotten yourself into this time?” Sasori’s mildly amused tone offended Sakura.

“I don’t only call when I’m in trouble! I just respect that you’re a busy man that does busy things and I try not to disturb you when I don’t need to!” Sakura huffed. Ino snickered.

“Of course. Well, what do you need?”

“Well you see, there’s this Christmas Party at the hospital, and I need a date.” Sakura blushed at the last part. She’d always seen the Sabaku siblings as an extension of her own family, but there was still something nerve-wracking about asking someone out on a date, no matter the level of familiarity.

“Is that Hyuuga asshole giving you a hard time?” Sasori asked, going from mildly amused to mildly upset.

“Who? Him? Nah, it’s um, someone else… They’re not giving me a hard time, more like I want to give them a hard time...” Sakura said, hoping that Sasori would help her.

“Okay, text me the details later. You’ll owe me for this.” 

Just like that he hung up on them, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Next to her, Ino was cheering. 

“Yes! Step one, complete! Now, there’s still a whole week left until the Party, so I’m gonna need you to work on a few additional things for me…”

That week work was even more stressful than usual. As per Ino’s instructions, Sakura was letting her nails grow, so she could manicure them. That way, Sakura was taking extra care to not break or chip them. She also went home almost every day, to use the special hair products Ino had given her. To Sakura the days passed by agonizingly slow, and every night she went home, she felt more and more anxious.

Konoha University Hospital’s Christmas Party was the biggest event of the year, lasting a whole six hours, scheduled so that everyone could show up for at least half of it. As a department head, Sakura’s presence was demanded, and for last year, she had barely spent ten minutes, since it happened shortly after her break up with Neji. The year before that she was one of the unlucky few to have a shift during the party, so she showed up for the final hour, too exhausted to do much. This year she promised herself things would be different.

Sakura only saw Itachi once throughout the week, quickly traversing the hospital’s main lobby, speaking on his phone in a hurried tone. She didn’t think he saw her, for she was simply buying some coffee at the hospital’s shop, intent on getting some more caffeine to help her last until the end of her shift.

Ino promised to get her a dress and shoes, but tasked Sakura with ordering a make up kit from Ninjazon. Sakura followed Ino’s instructions, barely dipping into her savings. Eventually the week came to a close, and the dreaded Christmas Party was upon her. Ino once again joined Sakura in the latter’s house, and the two of them spent a whole afternoon preparing. The party required formal wear, and Sakura was yet again shocked at the end result.

She wore a bareback mermaid bottom dress, of a blood red color. She cracked several jokes about its color, earning laughs from Ino, who was styling her hair in a sharp sideways style. When her friend was finished, Sakura was again amazed at her own beauty.

“You need to teach me how to do this, pig.” Sakura was thankful for her best friend’s skill.

“Of course, Forehead Girl. Shikamaru is picking us up soon, so make sure you got everything you need. Sasori-san is meeting us there, right?” Ino started throwing things into her small clutch bag while Sakura looked for her missing phone.

“Yeah I gave him the address earlier.” Sakura found her phone and placed it in her small side bag, and headed towards her wardrobe to pick a heavy jacket. Ino was already in the living room, ready to go.

“Come on, Forehead Girl! Shikamaru is already here!” Ino called out, and Sakura rushed out, ready to go. They rushed over through the cold to the warmth of Shikamaru’s sedan. Ino headed to the front, Sakura taking the back.

“Ladies.” He greeted them, taking off as soon as they were settled in. Ino pecked him on the cheek while Sakura smiled at the couple she had been shipping for years.

“Remember the plan, Sakura. I did my part, now it’s your turn.” Ino turned to Sakura, hoping to encourage her friend.

“What plan is this?” Shikamaru asked, in a bored tone that betrayed his curiosity.

“Ino had me ask Sasori as my date to make Uchiha-san jealous.” Sakura blushed. Shikamaru shook his head, familiar with his girlfriend’s schemes.

“That won’t work on Itachi-san. He does what he wants to do, no amount of feminine wiles will work on him.” Shikamaru thought to his previous experiences with the Uchiha. Ino shot him a glare for not supporting her idea.

They arrived at the venue for the party, a hotel near the hospital. Shikamaru dropped Sakura off at the front, before heading out to park the car with Ino. Sakura looked for her phone to call Sasori, when he showed up in front of her, drawing attention from the nearby women with his boyish good looks. 

“Sasori-kun! Have you been here long?” Sakura asked, knowing he hated to wait for others.

“I just arrived myself.”

Together they walked inside the ballroom, where the party was already going. There was a long buffet table filled with food, many tables scattered about, leaving a wide open area for dancing in the middle, and many people could be seen dancing. The two headed towards an empty table, setting down their coats. 

“So? Who’s the new guy you got in your sights?” Sasori asked, looking around with an air of disinterest. Sakura scanned the party for the man in her mind, until she finally spotted him, talking with some of the older staff. Sakura pointed at him, directing Sasori’s attention. “Uchiha Itachi?” He turned to face Sakura, a look of surprise in his features.

“You know him?” Sakura asked, wondering how many people knew Uchiha Itachi.

“We’re both in Akatsuki together. Sakura, I’m not in the habit of interfering with your beaus, that’s my youngest brother’s thing, but if you’re interested in Itachi, you better be really serious about it. He’s not the kind to play around.” Sasori sighed. Sakura was a magnet for trouble, and of course she’d pick the most troublesome man ever. Sasori prided himself in his capacity to read and manipulate other people, but Itachi was someone beyond his skill.

Itachi seemed to have seen them, and started heading their way. Sakura looked at Sasori, who seemed like he just wanted to leave.

“What do you mean? Sasori-kun do you know him really well?” Sakura asked, wondering why her friend looked so displeased. Sasori just looked at her analytically, wondering what he could do to get away from this situation. He also knew Itachi was not the kind to play around, and if he did have an interest in Sakura, he would find any way to remove Sasori from the equation.

“Haruno-san, glad you could make it. And Sasori-san, surprised to see you here.” Itachi joined them, greeting both of them politely.

“Itachi-san, good to see you. Sakura here was afraid of her ex-boyfriend harassing her so she requested my presence here to deter him. But now that you’re here, I can leave her in your care and return to my own obligations.” Sasori made a quick and strategic retreat, dumping Sakura on the Uchiha before she could even comprehend what just happened.

The two were left alone, and Sakura felt herself grow nervous. She looked around the party, hoping to see Ino, but she couldn’t see any friendly faces in the crowd.

“I was not aware you were so afraid of Hyuuga, Sakura-san. You should have told me and I would have taken precautions.” Itachi broke the silence, forcing Sakura to direct her attention to him. 

“You seemed quite busy recently, I did not wish to add something else to your list.” Sakura smiled. She had been simply avoiding him since their encounter in the club, but he didn’t need to know that. 

“Sakura-san, you can come to me anytime.” Itachi smiled at her, slightly brushing his fingers against her arm, causing a shiver run down her spine. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, when Itachi interrupted her, abruptly standing and pulling her up with him. “Let’s dance.”

He practically dragged her to the dance floor, ignoring her protests. He stopped once they joined the other couples, placing his hands on her delicately. Sakura hesitantly responded, and before she knew it, he was leading them around expertly. Sakura had never been good at dancing, but Itachi’s solid, determined leadership made her enjoy the experience. 

“Why did you suddenly ask me to dance?” Sakura asked, trying to start a conversation with him, so that she could stop thinking about the feeling of his fingers on her bare back.

“I saw some stuffy members of the hospital’s insurance team and I wished to avoid them.” Itachi replied nonchalantly, causing Sakura to giggle. “Besides it allows me to show you this.” Itachi suddenly twirled them, changing Sakura’s point of view. Behind Itachi’s shoulder she could see an angered looking Hyuuga Neji, a deep frown and a dark glare on his face. 

Sakura laughed, a wide smile on her face.

“Yes, that was indeed amazing. Thank you, Uchiha-san.” Sakura’s eyes shone like emeralds, stunning Itachi with their beauty.

“Please call me Itachi, Sakura-san. We’ve become familiar enough to drop the last names.” Itachi smiled, causing Sakura to blush heavily.

“Of course, I-Itachi-san.” Sakura flushed even more, heart beating fast. She was certain her skin had matched her hair in color.

What Sakura did not realize is that to Itachi she looked perfect, flushed skin, sparkling eyes, full lips, enticing him for a kiss. Their moment was interrupted by a abrupt music change, going from a slow song to a upbeat electronica. Suddenly people started jumping around them, causing Itachi and Sakura to take their leave.

As soon as they stopped by the refreshments table, Itachi was cornered by other hospital staff, all of them seeking favor with the President. Sakura took advantage of the chaos and she joined a lonely-looking Ino, wondering where Shikamaru had gone to.

“Hey, what happened?” Sakura asked, concernedly taking the empty seat next to her best friend.

“Huh? Ah nothing bad. An alert patient required a urgent surgery and Naruto called Shikamaru. You know, typical doctor stuff that doesn’t apply to me because I’m in Plastic Surgery.” Ino sighed. Sakura knew that her best friend sometimes felt left out because she didn’t have any hospital emergencies to call her own.

“Do you want to go see him?” Sakura offered, a plan forming in her head. “Come on!”

Sending a silent apology to Itachi for abandoning him, Sakura and Ino left the party, heading to the hospital. Once there, Sakura led Ino to the surgery floor, their heels clacking on the floor. They entered the observation room, right on time to see Shikamaru enter the surgery room, clad in his typical hospital scrubs. The two of them watched Shikamaru and Naruto work together to save the patient’s life in silence. Once the procedure was done, they left the room, joining the two males by the sinks.

“Ino, Sakura-chan? What are you two doing here?” Naruto was the first to notice them. Ino dashed past him, to throw herself into Shikamaru’s arms, kissing him senseless.

“C’mon Naruto, let’s give them some privacy.” Sakura dragged a surprised looking Naruto out, leaving the couple alone.

“I’m so confused… Did you guys come here from the party?” Naruto asked, completely clueless. 

“Yeah. Ino was upset Shikamaru left, so I suggested we come here and watch him work. It worked out, pretty well.” Sakura shrugged. The two headed to Naruto’s messy office, where he picked up his suit.

“Was Hinata-chan at the party?” Naruto asked, starting to change into his suit, as Sakura turned around to give him some privacy.

“Wasn’t she one of the ones that had a shift during the first half?” Sakura commented, remembering the shift distribution. “I think she volunteered because one of her doctors is pregnant. Do you want to go visit her?” Sakura offered, another plan forming in her mind.

The two friends headed down towards Pediatrics, where they found Hinata in her office, looking over some files. Sakura left Naruto there, claiming she needed to make a call and headed towards the lobby, intent on calling a cab and ending the night early. She found the one named Kisame there, looking around.

“Can I help you?” She asked, approaching him.

“Huh? Oh it’s the explosive pinky!” He grinned at her, and Sakura was forced to remember her first encounter with Itachi. She cringed at her past self, but Kisame looked more amused than anything. “I’m waiting for Itachi-san. We need him back at HQ.”

As if summoned, Itachi entered through the lobby doors, flecks of snow decorating his black hair. He walked towards them, eyes looking between Kisame and Sakura analytically. 

“Kisame. I’m sorry Sakura-san but it seems I will be busy for the rest of the night.” Itachi addressed Sakura with a polite nod.

“That’s alright, Itachi-san. I’m probably going home anyways. Have a nice night.” Sakura, understanding that they were in a rush, decided to leave first. She headed towards the lobby doors, intent on calling a cab and heading home. As she was opening the door, she looked back for a moment, and saw Kisame laughing at a annoyed Itachi. Sakura wondered about Akatsuki, and what it represented, for it to attract such unique people to it.

 

* * *

 

 

After Christmas, life returned much to the same. December turned into January, and Sakura only occasionally saw Itachi here and there, all of them quick hallway meeting, where Itachi was always apologizing for having to leave first.

She was listening to a nurse’s report on a child patient that had been admitted earlier when a shuffling man entered the ER. Sakura eyed him suspiciously, noting the oversized hoodie, and the unsteady gait. A bad feeling came over her, and she stopped a nurse from approaching him, choosing to address him instead.

“Excuse me sir, do you require treatment?” Sakura came close to him, eyeing him with suspicion. He started to cough and she closed the distance some more, trying to see what was wrong, when he moved quickly towards her, grabbing her and placing a knife to her neck. 

He held her hostage, the tip of his knife resting on top of her artery, worrying Sakura. She had received training to deal with situations like these and kept her calm, running scenarios in her head. The nurses all gasped, but stood still, keeping to the rules.

“My name is Haruno Sakura, and I just want to help. Just tell me what you want.” Sakura addressed him calmly, keeping herself passive, to prevent anything.

“I want your heaviest pain drugs. The really important stuff.” He growled behind her, tightening his grip.

“Okay, we have those. They’re in the Anesthesia department, on the fifth floor.” Sakura answered, exchanging a look with the nurse, who gave her a minute nod, hand inching towards the phone.

“Well sweetie, we’re going for a walk.” 

He started moving, keeping the knife on Sakura’s neck. Sakura allowed him to guide her as he pleased. She noticed he went straight for the staff elevator, avoiding the hustle of the main lobby, and wondered if he was familiar with the hospital layout. They didn’t meet anyone on their way to the fifth floor, which Sakura was thankful for. She knew that her staff had already notified the authorities, so all she had to do was gather information and stall for time.

They entered the Anesthesia department, startling the lone resident tending to the main desk. 

“Call Shikamaru, please.” Sakura asked calmly, hoping the resident would listen to her. He did, slowly getting up and knocking on Shikamaru’s office door. A minute after, and Shikamaru showed up, analyzing the situation in front of him. 

“Empty your drug cabinet. Here.” The man threw his backpack at Shikamaru’s foot, who nodded, heading to their drug storage cabinet. He quickly did what was asked, taking as much time as he could, not willing to risk Sakura’s life. 

Shikamaru returned with the full backpack, and slid it across the floor towards Sakura and her captor. Sakura felt his muscles tense up, and she knew what was coming next. Acting purely on instinct she threw all her weight backwards as he sliced, avoiding instant death. She fell, clutching her bleeding neck, trying to stop the flow of blood. Shikamaru quickly appeared in her field of vision, barking orders.

“Call Naruto here! Prep the OR room! Grab blood too!” He kneeled next to Sakura and she tried to speak, but blood was quickly filling her throat and lungs, and she could only let out a gurgling wheeze. “Stay with me Sakura.” He placed his hands on top of hers, putting more strength on her grip.

Sakura’s sight quickly began to fade, the last thing she saw was Shikamaru’s concerned face.

.

.

.

Itachi was looking over papers tiredly. Pein’s request that he help Sasori with Akatsuki’s latest project was taking up too much of his precious time. He had barely been able to run the hospital, let alone think about furthering his own pet project. Fortunately for him, they had finished everything that morning, and he could finally return to his normal schedule. Looking at the stack of papers on the left of his desk, Itachi considered going for a small walk, to see if he could be lucky enough to bump into a pink haired doctor.

Before Itachi could set his plan in motion, the door to his office was kicked open by an infuriated Hyuuga Neji. Itachi raised his eyebrows, surprised to see such a lack of manners from the usually polite doctor.

“How could you let this happen?! You suck my Cancer Center dry and you don’t bother to invest in security to prevent this very thing!” Neji yelled out, surprising Itachi. The Uchiha quickly went through several scenarios in his head, wondering what the Hyuuga was talking about.

“I just arrived, would you mind enlightening me?” Itachi asked, trying to remain polite. Neji laughed in a derisive manner, angering Itachi.

“You don’t even know… That’s gold. Some junkie asshole took Sakura hostage and cleaned out Shikamaru’s department, almost killing her on his way out. That’s what happens when you’re not around, Uchiha-sama.” Neji flipped his long hair back, exiting the office with a smirk. His abrupt departure meant he missed the murderous look in Itachi’s eyes. 

The dark haired man stood, gently taking his phone and quickly dialing a familiar number he started to walk. 

“Zetsu, I have a job for you.”

.

.

.

“Really, I’ll be fine. Naruto did an excellent job, the scarring will be minimal.” Sakura croaked with a smile. She was comfortably nested in one of the best rooms of the VIP wing, surrounded by Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino and Hinata. 

“You mean no scarring, right? As soon as you’re good enough, I’m going to make sure that pretty neck of yours is spotless.” Ino said, her eyes red from having cried throughout the duration of Sakura’s surgery.

“Sakura-chan you were amazing! If you were a second later we wouldn’t have been able to save you. Shikamaru you were also great, getting everything prepped so fast!” Naruto was holding on to the back of the chair Hinata was sitting on, to hide his shaking hands. He had never been so stressed before in the operating room, knowing that he was stitching Sakura’s lifeline.

“Why did you bring him to me, instead of Pharmaceutical?” Shikamaru asked, eyeing Sakura suspiciously. 

“I trusted that you would do a better job than Shizune-san, given the scenario at hand.” Sakura smiled. 

Tsunade entered, interrupting their conversation. She looked murderous, but instantly softened, upon seeing Sakura.

“Alright you brats, get back to work. I’ll look after her.” 

The four doctors excused themselves, with promises to return later, and it took another complaint from Tsunade to speed up their departures. As soon as the two were alone, the older woman took the seat Hinata had been occupying, and gently took her prized apprentice’s hand.

“Oh Sakura, why didn’t you stay in neuroscience with me? You wouldn’t have to deal with these crazies. This is the second time something like this happened to you.” Tsunade sighed, looking at Sakura with worried eyes.

“You know me, shishou. Bleeding heart and all.” Sakura joked. Tsunade couldn’t help but crack a smile at Sakura’s optimism. 

“Well you stay here as long as you need. And take time off too! I don’t want to see you prowling the ER looking more like a patient than a doctor.” Tsunade smiled knowingly, familiar with Sakura’s workaholic ways.

“Don’t worry shishou. I bet the entire hospital staff is going to be looking out for me. Besides, a little rest might do me well, I might even go see my mother.” Sakura felt pain return to her, but tried to hold off on asking for another dose of morphine, worried about potential side-effects.

“Well, a detective recently arrived wanting to get a statement from you. Uchiha is seeing him now, do you think you can talk to him? If you can’t, don’t feel pressured to.” Tsunade cursed Itachi in her thoughts when she said his name. She was more than happy to join Neji’s crusade to blame the Uchiha for this.

“I’m fine shishou. You can let him talk to me.” Sakura had a worrying suspicion in her mind that she wanted to get off so she could truly rest in peace.

“Alright.”

Tsunade left her student’s room in search of the two men. Sakura took the time alone to organize her memories about the incident, so she could give a clear and concise statement. The pain in her throat intensified, and she allowed herself to push a button for more painkillers.

A few minutes after Tsunade’s departure, Itachi entered her room, followed by two men. One had an eyepatch and a spiky silver hair. The other, Sakura recognized.

“Ah, Genma-san. We meet again.” Sakura smiled at him. The detective nodded at her. He and his partner took place at the foot of the bed, while Itachi stood behind the empty chair, in a position similar to the one Naruto had been in.

“Hello Haruno-sensei. This is my friend, Hatake Kakashi from major crimes. We’re working on the case together.” Genma introduced the other police officer, who smiled at Sakura. 

“Yo.” He greeted Sakura, who responded with a small smile.

“I know this must be hard for you, but could you please give us an account of what happened?” Genma asked, opening a small notepad and two pens, one of which went into his mouth.

“It was just another day at the ER, when we had a suspicious looking man enter. He was wearing a baggy hoodie with a backpack, and I couldn’t see his face well, but I noticed he was shambling a little. We get those kinds in the ER sometimes, addicts looking for help or for drugs. Following procedure, I addressed him in the standard manner, but he hunched over, looking like he was coughing. I got in closer to examine, and he grabbed me, placing a knife to my neck. His hand was very steady and his placement of the knife was very precise. It is my opinion that he could have been a doctor.” Sakura started her tale. The two detectives exchanged a concerned look. “I took him to my friend Shikamaru in Anesthesia since he’s the smartest one, and I knew he’d follow protocol. We took the staff elevator, which is weird because the guy clearly knew exactly where the staff elevator was. Once we got to the floor, he threw a bag at Shikamaru’s feet, asking him to empty the drug cabinet. Once that was done, I could feel his muscles tense up, so I knew what was coming next.” Sakura looked to the side, thinking of the panic in her gut. She noticed that Itachi was gripping the chair in front of him so hard his hand was white. “I threw my weight backwards to try and minimize the damage. That and my coworker’s efforts saved my life.” Sakura finished her tale. Her throat was burning up from so much effort, and she tried not to grimace.

“And would you happen to remember any defining characteristics that might help us identify him?” Kakashi asked. Sakura shook her head. She had her back to him for almost the entire experience, so she couldn’t say much.

“I believe Sakura-san is probably very tired, if you have any further questions, perhaps another time might be more suitable.” Itachi smoothly interrupted the session, directing the two towards the door. He ushered them out expressly and returned to his post by the chair. “Sakura-san, I believe I must apologize to you. I neglected to provide you with an adequate amount of safety. I promise you this will not happen again.” Itachi spoke in a low tone that was unfamiliar to Sakura. She noticed that the lines on his face looked darker, and his whole body was tense.

“This sort of thing happens all the time-!” Sakura began to wheeze, having spoken way too much. She brought her hand to her neck, and Itachi quickly called for a nurse. Sakura was speedily attended and did not have time to finish her sentence.

She spent an entire week at the hospital, in which she did not see Itachi at all. She was rarely alone, almost everyone made a visit, including Neji, who shoved flowers on her, before leaving with a mutter she did not understand. Tenten later told her how upset he had been, causing a smile from Sakura. Once she was officially discharged, Tsunade placed her under mandatory leave for another week.

“You know pig, having a near death experience really is enlightening.” Sakura said to Ino, who was helping her pack a small bag. The pink haired doctor was going to spend a few days at her mother’s place before returning to work.

“Oh? How so?”

“I was thinking about men and my own decisions. I think I’m going to heed Sasori-kun’s advice and just stop trying to seduce Itachi-san. If he was interested in me, he’d do something. I think he’s just that polite to everyone, and I simply fooled myself into thinking I was special. And Neji… I’ll put a stop to this feud I have with him. We’re both respected professionals, and the way we’ve been acting is childish and petty.” Sakura said, in a peaceful tone that surprised Ino. Sakura had always been more on the emotional side.

“That’s very mature of you, Forehead Girl.” Ino commented looking at Sakura with new eyes.

“Thank you. Also, I don’t think I will need that plastic surgery. The scar is not that noticeable. And I’d like to keep it, as a reminder that I am just as fragile as the patients I treat.” Sakura smiled, bringing her hand to the bandage on her neck.

“Now that I cannot agree with.” Ino complained.

* * *

 

 

When Sakura returned to the hospital, she was back to full health, and her first action was a visit to the Cancer Center, to extend an olive branch to a surprised Hyuuga Neji, who gracefully accepted. It was a shocked cafeteria that witnessed the two doctors sit for a lunch together without any incidents. 

Sakura returned to work happy with her accomplishment, and even happier by the looks and whispers that followed her steps. For once gossip around her was good. It was a cheerful Sakura that entered the ER, ready to see patients. She had just finished her round, when a thin woman entered, followed by a concerned looking boy. Sakura watched a nurse receive them and direct the woman to a nearby cot. Sakura joined them, ready to examine the mother.

A quick examination led to a request for further exams, and Sakura found herself with a six year old boy to look after.

“What’s your name?” She asked with a kind smile, kneeling down to his eye level.

“Satahiko Suzuki.” He answered in a serious voice. He reminded her of a young Sasori, prompting a wider smile from the doctor.

“Well, Suzuki-kun, do you know your father’s phone number?” Sakura asked worried that the mother might have to stay the night in the hospital.

“I don’t have a father. It’s just me and my mother.” He answered seriously. Sakura sighed internally. Single parents were more common nowadays, and it was always hard on the children whenever the parent was hospitalized. She tried to remain cheerful, knowing that a serious boy wouldn’t cause much trouble.

“Haruno-sensei, the results are here.” One of her residents called her, and Sakura entrusted the boy to him, so she could look at the test results. A quick look was all she needed to have her previous joy evaporate. She took the phone, and calling a familiar number, Sakura cursed the world while she waited for him to answer.

“Yes?”

“Neji-san, I have a patient for you.”

In the days that followed Satahiko Kaoru’s admission to the Cancer Center, Sakura found herself there during many of her breaks. She went to see the serious Suzuki-kun, who spent all his time not at school by his mother’s side. Sakura occasionally helped him with homework, and watched as he would scour the hospital for change on the floor. By the end of the week, the young boy had a jar full of coins.

“Sakura-sensei, I’d like to buy a gift for my mother, since her birthday is tomorrow. Do you think we can go together?” He asked her, and Sakura did not have the heart to deny him. Shooting a quick text to Nakia, the current doctor on call at the ER that she was taking a longer break, Sakura accompanied the young boy outside.

The two walked to a nearby street with many shops, Suzuki carrying his jar of coins along. He looked at several windows until he stopped at a cosmetics store.

“Do you want to go in?” Sakura asked, and he nodded. The two of them entered, and began browsing the shelves. Sakura noticed that the prices on most things were higher than what her companion carried in his jar, and wondered how she’d be able to pay for it without him noticing.

“That one!” He pointed to a discrete lipstick. “Mom looks so white after the treatment, so I think that she’d like some color.”

Sakura smiled at him, impressed at his thoughtfulness. She took the item from the high shelf and handed it to him, who happily went to the register. The fashionable young girl at the cashier looked at him in distaste, casting a haughty look at the jar of coins placed upon the balcony.

“We don’t accept this.” She pushed the jar back towards the kid, and Sakura glared at her.

“This is money, do you not accept money? You don’t want to make sales?” Sakura said, upset at the terrible service. The girl gave Sakura’s appearance a once over, unimpressed at the way she was dressed.

“This store is too good for your kind.” The girl scoffed at them. Suzuki looked like he was about to cry, and Sakura was ready to slap the inconsiderate girl, when a slick black card was placed upon the counter.

“Surely it’s not too good for my kind?”

Uchiha Itachi was standing behind Sakura and Suzuki, looking at the girl dispassionately. She completely changed her demeanor, flashing a smile and batting her eyes at the Uchiha.

“Of course not, sir. What can I do for you?” She said flirtatiously. Saura rolled her eyes.

“I’d like to purchase this lipstick.” Itachi replied smoothly. Sakura grabbed Suzuki’s jar and the boy’s hand, ready to leave. “Please wait a second, Sakura-san.” Itachi placed his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving. Sakura tried to ignore the feeling of his hand, remembering the promise she had made to herself.

Just friends, she chanted in her mind. Once the purchase was complete, Itachi grabbed his item, and releasing Sakura, he kneeled down to face the young Suzuki.

“I heard you want to buy this. I’m willing to sell it to you.” Itachi smiled at the little boy, who looked at him in surprise.

“I only have these.” Suzuki presented his jar to Itachi, who nodded.

“That’s exactly what I wanted.” Itachi took the jar, handing the small parcel to the now smiling young boy. Sakura watched the interaction in surprise, not knowing the Uchiha was so good with children.

The three walked outside the shop, heading back to the hospital. Suzuki led the way, proud of his new treasure, while Itachi now carried the large jar of coins.

“I noticed the two of you walking around. Forgive my curiosity.” Itachi broke the silence.

“Suzuki-kun’s mother is a cancer patient. He doesn’t have anyone else so… I was the one who admitted her, I just can’t leave him be.” Sakura sighed, watching the young boy sadly. She too had lost her father at a young age, and knew the struggles of being the only child of a single mother in Japan.

“Is that why you’ve been spending so much time at the Cancer Center? I heard from the gossip mill that you had gotten back together with Hyuuga-san.” Itachi replied and Sakura shook her head.

“No! I’d never get together with him again. Sure, we’ve made a peace of sorts, but I’m not interested in him. Don’t just believe the gossip mill like that, Itachi-san!” Sakura replied defensively, bothered that Itachi might think she was dating Neji.

They arrived at the hospital, and Suzuki took off, to present his mother with his gift. Sakura smiled as she watched him leave, and turned to Itachi.

“Here, I know the lipstick cost more than what’s in that jar. I’ve been the one dropping change all over the place for him to find, so I know what’s in there.” Sakura took out her wallet, taking some money to hand over to Itachi.

“Sakura-san please.” Itachi refused her money. “Turn that into change, and drop it someplace. Consider it my contribution to the fund.” He said, in a amused tone. Sakura couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Alright Itachi-san. I’ll let you know whenever we go out on another expedition.” Sakura answered, and Itachi nodded. They split then, each one going their separate ways, heads filled with thoughts of the other.

When Sakura returned to the ER, she found Detective Kakashi waiting for her. He was attracting the attention of all the nurses, who were looking at him like he was made of chocolate. Sakura quickly invited him to her office, so they could speak privately.

“Hatake-san, do you have any further questions for me?” Sakura asked, curious about the progress of the investigation.

“Not exactly, Haruno-san. In fact, quite the opposite. We’ve found your aggressor.” He answered, refusing her offer of a seat. Sakura remained standing as well.

“Really? That was fast. Do you need me to identify him, or something?” Sakura asked.

“That’s not necessary. We found him dead, actually. Not too far from the hospital.” The detective answered somberly.

“Did he OD?” Sakura asked, familiar with the patterns of drug addicts.

“No, all the drugs found on him were untouched. He was stabbed, actually. We identified him by the serial number on the drugs and your blood on his backpack.” The detective scratched his head, avoiding Sakura’s curious gaze.

“That’s… quite unusual.” Sakura responded, unsure of what to make of the whole situation.

“Yeah. Well, you were right by the way, he used to be a doctor, worked at a private practice, until he was sued for malpractice. This was five years ago, he was considered missing.” Hatake said, and he looked at the woman in front of him analytically wondering if she had anything to do with the mysterious case beyond just being a victim.

“That’s… I don’t know what to say Hatake-san. I don’t really know any private practice professionals, and indeed this whole case seems very mysterious, but I don’t think I can help you.” Sakura answered, her mind spinning with theories.

“Well, Haruno-san, if you happen to think of anything, here’s my card. Please give me a call.” He handed Sakura his card, which she took. He left shortly after, leaving Sakura wondering about her mysterious assailant’s end.

Sakura thought about potentially talking to Shikamaru or Itachi about it, but was distracted by a nurse, and Sakura didn’t think of the matter again.

About a month after Satahiko Kaoru’s first appearance, Sakura was notified of another case with similar symptoms by her peer, Haru.

“It’s the exact same thing, Chief. This is weird.” Haru and Sakura were looking over the new patient’s exam results, and comparing them to Kaoru’s. The similarities were remarkably unusual, especially in cancer patients.

“We should speak to Neji-san about this.” Sakura said in a low tone. 

“This is remarkable. Are you sure it isn’t an error and we’re not looking at Satahiko’s exams?” They were now in Neji’s office, looking at the two sets of exams laid on the table.

“No, you see this patient is male.” Haru pointed at the chart. Sakura nodded, having looked at the patient herself.

“But it’s just… No two cancers are so identical. I’ve never seen this before in my life.” Neji said, his eyes still glued to the information presented to him.

“What are the odds of this simply being a once in a lifetime affair?” Sakura asked.

“Low, but possible.” Neji answered.

The three doctors reflected upon it some more, but they eventually determined that it had to be something simply previously unseen in medicine and that it had to be an accident, until the month after, when Sakura saw the same symptoms again, this time on a elderly woman.

“Neji-san, this can’t be right! Three people, with the exact same symptoms and conditions, all appearing right after the other, we have to notify someone!” Sakura was nervous. Two was a coincidence, but three was a pattern, and something needed to be done.

“Who do we speak to? Tsunade-sama is away on her conference. We can’t go straight to the government with this, we need to follow proper channels.” Neji frowned, still puzzled by the mystery in front of him.

“We go to Uchiha-san.” 

It was in that way that Sakura and Neji were standing in front of Itachi’s office, looking uncomfortable.

“You knock.” 

“No you do it.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Will you two please come in, instead of bickering outside? I can hear you.” Itachi’s voice echoed from the other side of the door, embarrassing the two doctors who were standing outside.

Sakura took the initiative and cautiously opened the door, mindful of the last time she had been to his office. Neji followed her, carrying the papers. They stood in front of his desk, facing the arched eyebrow of Itachi. Neji handed him the three files and they waited from him to look at it first. Sakura noticed that on one of the shelves behind him was the jar of coins that had belonged to Suzuki and she repressed a smile.

“What am I looking at?” Itachi asked, turning to the two in front of him.

“Three separate patients, manifesting the same symptoms and the same pathology, all admitted within a month of each other.” Sakura explained.

“That is not so unusual, why do you bring it to me?” Itachi asked, requiring further explanation.

“These are all cancer patients, and as I’m sure you know, one of the defining characteristics of cancer is that no cancer is the exact same. Yet these three patients have a 98% match, which is unheard of in medicine.” Neji said, trying to keep his tone respectful.

“We need to report this to the Ministry of Health. This is extremely important.” Sakura added.

Itachi took another look at the files in front of him and then nodded. 

“Very well. I will handle the Ministry. Hyuuga-san for now please keep doing your best to treat them. Sakura-san please keep an eye out for more cases, and contact the doctors from other hospitals to see if they have received any similar cases. I will conduct my own investigation into this matter.” Itachi handed out his orders.

Two more cases arrived in Sakura’s ER and she grew even more concerned until one day she spotted a group of doctors crowded around a TV on her way home. She approached them and was surprised to see Itachi and Neji giving an interview.

_ “It was thanks to your efforts that it was discovered that Orochimaru Chemicals was improperly disposing of waste, resulting in several grave consequences to the nearby community.” _

_ “Yes, I immediately noticed that something was off, and notified Uchiha-san immediately.” _

_ “Indeed, if it wasn’t for Hyuuga-san and our Emergency Room staff, this could have become a much greater tragedy.” _

“Of course my cousin would try and take all the credit.” Sakura turned around to see Hinata standing next to her, also watching the interview. “At least Uchiha-sama tried to respect your role.”

“Ah, I didn’t do much. Besides, I bet I’d look hideous on TV anyways.” Sakura laughed, trying to ignore the small edge of resentment.

Hinata returned the smile and Sakura quickly left, glad that she didn’t have to worry about it anymore. She saw Suzuki standing by the coffee shop, eyeing the food. Sakura approached him, and greeted him with a smile.

“Do you want to come eat with me? I bet you’re tired of the hospital food, right?” Sakura asked, knowing that most of his meals were shared with his mother. She knew the nurses were sneaking him meals as if he were a patient.

“Is Uchiha-nii-san coming too? He sometimes gives me some candy, whenever I see him.” Suzuki asked. Sakura, remembering that she had promised to call him on their next adventure smiled.

“I’ll give him a call.”

She wasn’t expecting him to answer at all, but he did, and within five minutes, he met them at the lobby. He looked as pristine as always, and Sakura thought of how odd they must look. A sharp businessman, a haggard looking boy and her own rumpled casual look. What a terrible day to forget my change of clothes and have to wear my backups, Sakura thought.

“Shall we?” Itachi motioned towards the door, and both Sakura and Suzuki followed him. Waiting for them outside was a car Sakura recognized. A chauffeur handed the keys to Itachi, who opened the doors for both Sakura and Suzuki.

“Woah, this is such a fancy car nii-san!” The usually serious Suzuki looked very excited at his impromptu car ride, and spent most of the ride fiddling with all the buttons he could press, much to Sakura’s amusement.

Itachi took them to a family restaurant near the hospital that was one of Sakura’s favorites. They were led to a table by a bored-looking waitress. 

“Please pick whatever you wish, my treat.” Itachi said, as soon as they were seated. Sakura already familiar with the menu, already knew what she wanted, but Suzuki took a while, carefully reading each item, occasionally asking Sakura for assistance. Itachi motioned for their servant and the bored waitress returned. 

“And what will your child have, ma’am?” She asked, once Sakura and Itachi had both ordered. Sakura blushed at the implication, but Suzuki ordered for himself.

Once the waitress left, Sakura looked at the window, and saw the reflection of what looked like a family. A serious looking businessman, a mom with simple tastes, and a serious boy, whose brown hair looked like it could have come from a mix of Sakura and Itachi’s. Sakura couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever be able to have a family like that, or if her career would always come first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading another installment of this story. Sakura and Itachi will continue to dance around each other for a while longer, so please hang in there and enjoy the adorable awkwardness as a result. As per usual there are hints of a major plot, and you can feel free to fill in the gaps as you wish. For instance, the man that attacked Sakura could have been working for Orochimaru Chemicals, or he could be one of the drug dealers of the fancy Elysium drug... Who knows? You do! I hope everyone enjoyed it and please look forward to another one soon.


	3. Episode III

Sakura looked at the Uchiha in front of her with a pout. That morning she was greeted by an email that upset her, and as soon as she arrived at the hospital she made her way to Itachi’s office, intent on finding a way out of it. 

“I'm sorry Sakura-san, but you were specifically requested due to your outstanding medical accomplishments.” Itachi smirked a little and Sakura narrowed her eyes, thinking that he was a little too amused. 

“I don't want to go! It's a waste!” Sakura complained, hoping that if she annoyed him enough, he'd remove her name from the roster. 

“I'm surprised, Sakura-san. I thought you'd love the opportunity to help those in need.” Itachi’s voice retained his usual smooth timbre, completely unaffected by Sakura’s attempts at persuasion. 

“I wouldn't complain at all, if helping people is what we're actually doing.” Sakura scoffed. Itachi raised an elegant eyebrow in question and Sakura continued. “You don't understand what it's actually like. It's all just a big political scam, meant to further their public images. They show up with pretty doctors, take pictures of them distributing vaccines and performing basic medical check ups, and then it's all over the news, on how the future candidate for president is so nice and caring, bringing medics to a rural community.” Sakura frowned, having been recruited for these before. The first time she believed it, and had tried to make a change in the system, but was met with nothing but resistance. Since then she had been only disappointed. 

“Then perhaps it's for the best that you are there, if you're so familiar.” Itachi looked over his own documents regarding the request from the Assemblyman. 

“Just give me a good team. We may not be doing much, but I do want to be able to do the most I can.” Sakura sighed, resigned with her lot. Itachi watched her shuffle out of his office in low spirits, a small plan forming in his mind. 

At the end of the week, Itachi sent her a request for a meeting in his office, to discuss the team that would accompany Sakura and the Assemblyman on their humanitarian mission. She responded by saying that he'd have to wait until the end of her shift, since she was busy at the ER.

Sakura sat at the nurse's station, appreciating all the empty beds. She thought that perhaps she was being petty, by forcing him to wait on her when she could have met with him earlier, but Sakura was still upset about losing a weekend to a politician's schemes, and taking it out on him made her feel better. 

“So you didn't hear? He was seen with that gorgeous supermodel, Konan. I hear she even has her very own accessory line.” Sakura’s ears perked upon hearing Konan’s name. She was the only celebrity that Sakura cared to follow, impressed at the woman's successes in life.

“Who was seen with Konan?” Sakura asked the nurse, uncharacteristically taking interest in the local gossip mill. 

“Our President, Uchiha-sama! They were together at a very exclusive party.” The nurse replied, bursting with excitement. Sakura smiled to hide her inner feelings, which were dark and gloomy. She peeked over the nurse’s shoulder to look at her phone, to see a picture of Itachi with a gorgeous blue-haired supermodel at his side.

Sakura quickly left the station, attempting to find something else to busy herself with until the scheduled time with the President. She circled around the ward, looking for anything to occupy herself with, but she found nothing, and chose to pay a visit to Hinata instead.

Arriving at Pediatrics, Sakura quickly regretted her decision, seeing that they were filled with patients. She turned around, heading to the hospital lobby, to make a visit to the local coffee shop.

There, she saw Ino and Shikamaru looking cute together, sharing a cup of coffee and eating cake. She thought of interrupting them, but she chose not to, wanting to respect the time they had together. Sakura turned around, ready to return to the ER, but she bumped into Itachi, who had been standing behind her. 

“Sakura-san, I was looking for you. Is it possible to hold our meeting now? I have a dinner appointment tonight.” Itachi asked politely and Sakura nodded. They started walking towards the elevators, and once inside Sakura forced a smile. 

“Are you going to see the supermodel? Konan?” Sakura asked, trying to sound cheerful. 

“No, my mother stopped by unexpectedly.” Itachi answered casually, surprising Sakura. 

“Is she here about your new girlfriend?” Sakura tried to poke around for more information, hoping she wasn't being too obvious. 

“I see you've been hearing the gossip around the nurses.” Itachi smirked and Sakura blushed, directing her attention to the elevator door. “Konan-san is in a very committed relationship with a friend. And if you asked her, she'd probably say that I'm not her type.”

Sakura tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to bloom on her lips, but she ended up smiling at the door, much to Itachi’s amusement. 

It was in much different spirits that Sakura exited the elevator, happy to follow Itachi to his office, to discuss her upcoming event. They talked about the roster, transportation and supplies, all of which were Sakura’s responsibilities. She accepted them gracefully, only making a few switches here and there. Even though she thought they were done quickly, a glance at her watch told her it was almost nine, and Sakura was worried for Itachi’s dinner plans. 

“Perhaps we should stop here, you don't want to keep your mother waiting.” Sakura got up from her chair, quickly picking up all the papers he had given to her. Before she was finished, his office door opened, revealing a well-dressed, beautiful older woman, who had a kind smile. 

“Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt.” she apologized, starting to back out. 

“We just finished, kaa-san. Please come in.” Itachi invited his mother in, and Sakura eyed her curiously, observing that she was very similar to her son, except she smiled much more. Sakura bowed to her politely, and she returned the bow. The matriarch looked at Itachi with a raised eyebrow, and he quickly made introductions. “Kaa-san, this is Haruno Sakura, our chief of Emergency Medicine. Sakura-san, this is my mother, Uchiha Mikoto.”

“My, such a young girl and a chief? Quite impressive, Sakura-san. I hope my son isn't keeping you here late, I know he is a bit of a workaholic, but keeping a pretty girl like you here is just so unfair.” Mikoto smiled and quickly started talking, much to Sakura’s surprise, who was used to her son's silence. 

“It's mostly my fault, I was busy with my shift, so I had the meeting start late. I'm sorry for keeping him when his mother is here.” Sakura apologized politely, ready to make her escape. 

“We just finished, so I'm ready to head out. Sakura-san, tomorrow I'll send you the revised copies.” Itachi got up, packing his suitcase and Sakura took that as her cue to leave. 

“Thank you, Itachi-san. Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san.” Sakura bowed again and walked away, leaving the two behind. As the door was closing behind her, she heard one last thing, coming from Mikoto’s lips. 

“Isn't she the one girl who was Sasuke-chan’s friend? It was so long ago, I barely recognized her…”

Feeling bad that she hadn't remembered Mikoto from the time she had visited Sasuke, Sakura took the stairs, hoping to avoid a potential meeting while waiting for the elevator. 

Sakura didn’t see much of Itachi for a few days, being busy with preparations for her weekend trip. She had already notified the nurses and doctors that would be going with her, and was surprised when Hinata volunteered to come too. Sakura was almost looking forward to visiting the town of Karasuno by the end of the week. 

Saturday morning she rose before the sun, getting ready to leave early. Sakura met the other sleepy members by the hospital, where a bus supplied by Itachi was driving them. Sakura did a quick check on the supplies and the staff and they were off, the young woman taking a seat next to Hinata. 

“Why did you come? We're expecting mostly elderly people.” Sakura asked, wondering what caused the Head of Pediatrics to forsake her weekend. 

“Father is hosting a charity event. This is a wonderful excuse to miss it.” Hinata smiled. Sakura nodded in understanding. She had not gotten along with the strict leader of the Hyuuga family when she had been dating Neji, and it had been a factor in her rejection of his proposal. 

“It won't be too bad. I even had a little bit of fun last time.” Sakura smiled at her friend, who returned the smile. 

They arrived at Karasuno by mid afternoon, and were met with a welcoming squad by the town. Together with the volunteers from the town, they spent the rest of the morning setting up the tents and materials they had brought from Tokyo. Once everything was done, the mayor made an appearance, with a small speech and a meal for everyone. 

Sakura made an effort to socialize with everyone there, smiling kindly and listening politely. She noticed Hinata was doing the same, and felt thankful that this time she didn't have a troublesome partner. 

The Assemblyman arrived in the afternoon, once treatment started, and Sakura opened the medi-tent’s services to everyone. A line began to form and soon Sakura became too busy with the patients to pay much attention to her surroundings. 

She worked for a while, smiling and chatting to the several old people complaining of different kinds of pain until she eventually felt her own back start to hurt. 

“Nakia, I'm going to take a break now!” Sakura called out to her ER companion, who responded with a sharp nod. Walking away from the tent, Sakura admired the tall mountains that surrounded the town, and how the houses were all small but quaint. 

She walked to a nearby store, intent on buying a cool drink to stave off the incoming heat when suddenly the ground started to shake under her feet. 

Birds flew into the sky, warning cries drowning the muted rumble that came from the ground. Around Sakura glasses shook and cars started to beep. A murmur of loud voices erupted from the medi-tent, and Sakura lost her footing, falling to her knees. The rumbling intensified and people began yelling. Looking to the north, Sakura saw one of the mountains cave, trees, dirt and boulders falling down. A crack appeared on the ground and Sakura made an effort to get up and away from it. 

She stumbled towards the medical tent, where everyone was huddled together in fear. As soon as she arrived the rumbling stopped, although people still looked panicked. Power seemed to be gone, and everyone took out their phones to see that phone services were also gone. The police staff that had been helping out with the tent set to work. 

They directed all the patients to return to their homes, and Sakura found herself being addressed by the Sheriff. 

“Do you think you and your people can help with emergency services? Our hospital might not have the staff for it, and you seem to be well supplied here.” He asked. Sakura nodded, taking charge of the situation. 

“Direct all those who require simple first aid here, and send all major injuries to the hospital. We'll set up our own triage system here, and we have our own generators for power.” Sakura agreed. She turned to the medical staff that was standing there, waiting for orders, and was glad she had chosen a small but competent team. 

“We'll start by taking the emergency packs from the bus, Nakia I'll leave that to you. Hinata I want you to take Nurse Mariko and get an inventory of what we have left. Nurse Kaoru and Karen we'll set up cots and examination areas.” Sakura divided the tasks to her team and set to work, separating tent spaces, organizing the reception desk, and distributing the emergency packs. 

Soon people started to trickle in, with a wide array of injuries. 

“Direct all children to Hinata and Mariko. Nakia you and Karen take the elderly and I'll look after the rest with Kaoru.” Sakura said. She asked a young police officer to sort the incoming patients and set to work. 

It was already dark when they were finished, and their generators had long since given out, and they had been using the bus’ headlights as a light source. Sakura was absolutely exhausted, but she was glad she managed to help out, even identifying a few cases that were much more serious than what they looked.

Standing up and stretching, Sakura looked at the other exhausted members and smiled at them proudly. She knew that their presence there helped much more than they could see. 

“Well done everyone! Today we honored our oath to help those in need, and we'll be able to have the rest of those that have done their due!” Sakura spoke, hoping to cheer them up. They returned her smile weakly, and Sakura sat back down, feeling exhausted. 

She wondered when she'd be able to return to Tokyo, and she took her phone, but was sad to see that the battery had not lasted the day. 

“Sakura, is your phone working?” Hinata asked. Right as she did, their only light source gave out, plunging them into darkness. Reaching into her pocket for a lantern she had placed there earlier, Sakura clicked it on. 

“No, it's not. Looks like power isn't back on either.” Sakura replied. The town was still mostly dark, with a few faint lights from nearby homes that looked like they came from candles. 

“Where will we sleep? And when can we go home?” Kaoru Asked, looking to Sakura for an answer. 

“We were going to stay in a hotel by the north side, at the foot of the mountain that…” Sakura didn't finish her sentence, worried for the people there. Throughout the day they had heard vague accounts that the north of the city was hit hard, and emergency services were trying to rescue those under the rubble. 

Right as she began to despair, the loud noise of helicopters flew above, causing the medics and nurses to step out of the tent and look at the dark sky. What looked like a small fleet of helicopters flew above them, scanning the ground with lights. They headed north, except for one, who landed in the field in front of them. 

Sakura watched a single figure step away from the helicopter and head over, and she could only see its silhouette against the bright light coming from behind it. Once he was close enough that she could aim her flashlight at him, she was shocked to see Uchiha Itachi. 

He joined the stunned staff by the tent, smiling politely. 

“Did you…?” Sakura asked, completely shocked by his unexpected entrance. 

“Akatsuki Corp found itself worried about the tragic situation and volunteered staff and resources to help the rescue efforts. I've come to rescue our own staff that was stranded here helping with emergency services. Please take your personal belongings and head to the helicopter.” He explained smoothly. The nurses giggled as they grabbed their bags, and Hinata shot him an incredulous look, while Sakura stood there, watching him in awe. 

“You got a fleet of helicopters. And you came here to save us?” Sakura asked as she packed her things, admiring him. 

“It seems I cannot take my eyes away from you, Sakura-san. Every time I do, something seems to happen.” He smiled at her, and reaching over took the bag she was holding. 

“Were you worried?” Sakura wondered what it had been to the people at Tokyo, who had been unable to contact her. 

“Quite, especially when I heard your hotel had been buried under half a mountain.” He answered, thinking back to the panic he had felt when he had seen it on the news. 

Itachi had used every resource Akatsuki had to locate her, hoping she was still alive.

“Phone services were down so I couldn't get in touch. I decided to stay put and help.” Sakura answered, climbing in the helicopter. She settled in between Itachi and Hinata, and soon the helicopter was flying through the night sky. She looked at the window, but found her eyes lingering on the profile of the man in front of her, admiring the lines of his face, the tilt of his nose and the long lashes that framed his dark eyes. 

Sakura was happy to see the hospital’s heliport, and was even happier to see a small crowd of people waiting for the helicopter’s arrival. As they slowly descended to the ground, she saw that way too many members of the staff were there, and worried over who was watching patients. She spotted Naruto and Ino’s blonde heads at the front, both of them looking concerned. As soon as the engines were off and the doors were open, the two rushed forward, barely waiting for the passengers to get down.

“Sakuraaa!” Ino cried out as she embraced her best friend. Sakura smiled, patting her on the back. “I thought you were dead! Again! Stop doing this to me Forehead Girl!” Sakura felt Ino sob into her shoulder, shaking slightly.

“It’s okay, I’m okay, nothing happened.” Sakura said softly.

Next to the two women, Naruto and Neji were crowding Hinata, both of them peppering her with more questions than she could answer. Itachi quickly broke off the reunion, directing everyone inside. They congregated in the rooftop’s lobby, everyone talking excitedly, filling the floor with a loud murmur.

“If Uchiha-san hadn’t gone looking for you, we never would have found out what happened to you!” Tsunade had joined Ino in chastising Sakura, who tried to explain that she was unable to contact them due to the cellphone tower being damaged by the earthquake.

Eventually people started to dissipate and the excitement levels died down. Ino refused to leave Sakura’s side, staying behind when almost everyone else had left.

“I believe all of you have earned some well deserved rest, so please take as much time off as you need.” Itachi addressed the members of the team. Sakura smiled thankfully, already feeling exhaustion settling in, as her adrenaline levels began to go down.

“I’ll take Hinata-chan home, since you’re on call.” Naruto offered, and Neji frowned for a minute before hesitantly agreeing. Sakura smiled at the development, winking at the red-faced Hinata, who looked almost ready to pass out.

“I came with Shikamaru, but he’s still on his shift for another hour… I’ll drive you home and then come back for him, Sakura.” Ino said. Sakura eyed her friend in worry, knowing that it was quite late and she probably had to come in the next day.

“Are you sure? I can take a ride with Naruto and Hinata.” Sakura said. Naruto nodded his agreement, but before anyone could add to that, Itachi interrupted them.

“I’ll take Sakura-san home. There’s a few details that I need to get from her while the events are fresh in her mind.” Itachi volunteered. Neji shot him a scathing glare and was about to protest when Ino practically pushed Sakura upon Itachi with a devious grin.

“Of course, thank you so much Uchiha-sama. You remember where her house is, right? Since you’ve been there before…” Ino spoke and Sakura looked at her friend oddly. Neji’s glare intensified even further, with an additional scowl added in. Itachi simply smiled.

“Of course, Yamanaka-san. I’ll make sure to look after Sakura-san.” Itachi spoke politely. He took Sakura’s pack again, and offered his other arm to her. She hesitated before taking it, and he directed them towards the elevators.

The ride to the garage was filled with awkward silence. Neji insisted in riding down with them, and nobody said much. Sakura was too tired, Hinata was too shy and Naruto thought he was the cause for Neji’s bad humor and wisely decided to stay quiet. Once downstairs, Itachi nodded to the others before guiding Sakura to a black sports car that was parked in his spot. She looked at it in surprise, noticing that it was different from the other car she had seen him use.

“What happened to your SUV?” She asked curiously, as he opened the passenger side door to her.

“I was in a rush today, so I chose the faster option.” Itachi replied as he entered his seat behind the wheel.

They took off from the garage, and were in the empty streets of Tokyo. Sakura leaned her head against the cool window, watching the lights. It was only after being in complete darkness that she found herself longing for the commodities of modern life.

“What did you want to ask me?” Sakura asked, breaking the silence. 

“It was the Assemblyman. But if you’re too tired, we can discuss this another time.” Itachi replied, taking a look at Sakura’s rapidly dropping eyelids.

She managed to eke out a hum of acknowledgement before succumbing to sleep completely.

When Sakura woke up, she found herself in a unfamiliar bedroom, tastefully simplistic, with pale tones that looked at home in a decoration magazine. Sakura sat up on the soft, comfortable bed she had been sleeping in and looked around, trying to identify her location. The last thing she remembered was being in Itachi’s car, but they were headed towards her house, and she was certain that this was not it. Spotting a lamp by the bed, Sakura turned it on, so she could better see her surroundings. The bedroom she was in looked like it had no owner, devoid of any personal belongings, Sakura thought she might be in a hotel, due to the perfect state of the bedroom. 

Noticing a muffled voice coming from outside the room, Sakura hopped out of bed. Glancing at a mirror, she spotted her messy appearance and cringed. Whoever had placed her there did not bother to remove her clothes, who were the same from when she had left her house that morning. Sighing to herself, Sakura stepped out into a hallway that spotted the same style of decor as the bedroom. Moving towards the light coming from the right, Sakura found herself in a large living room, where Uchiha Itachi was. He had his back to her, speaking on his phone in a low tone. He was standing in front of the wide ceiling to wall window, staring at the cityscape. 

Sakura took the time to admire her surroundings. The room was simple but clearly expensive, organized in a pragmatic fashion. Sakura made her way to one of the armchairs and sat down, sinking into its soft embrace. Atop the coffee table in front of her were scattered papers and a laptop, signalling that Itachi had clearly been working deep into the night. She noticed a now cold cup of tea that was half-full and wondered what time of the night it was. Looking towards Itachi and the window behind him, she couldn’t tell much beyond night time.

“...I am well aware, and I will deliver. I do not lie, Sasori-san.” Itachi finished his call in a frustrated tone, and Sakura wondered what sort of deal he had made with Sasori. She knew the redhead took his deals very seriously, and Sakura had regretted them many times. He turned around and faced the pink-haired doctor in surprise.

“Where are we, Itachi-san?” Sakura asked with a small smile, surprised by the stormy look adorning his usually impassive face.

“My apartment. You fell asleep early into the drive, and I could not wake you when we arrived at your house, so I had no choice but to take you to my own.” Itachi answered. He returned to his usual ways, sending her a polite smile. He reached to the tea cup and took a sip, frowning once he did. “Would you like some tea?” He offered and Sakura nodded, feeling hungry.

She followed him into the kitchen, admiring all the high tech apparel and the marble countertops. She took one of the seats by the table and watched him prepare the water. He looked tired and his movements were sluggish.

“When was the last time you had a good eight hours of sleep?” Sakura asked, starting to feel guilty for occupying his bed. “You should have put me on the couch, I’m a doctor, I can sleep anywhere.” Her words were met with a chuckle from Itachi, who turned around to face her, leaning against the counter.

“Sakura-san I wouldn’t put you in my bed without your permission. No, you were occupying the guest room.” He smiled at the blushing Sakura. She looked away from the amused man to the clock on the wall, indicating it was four in the morning.

“Itachi-san, were you up all night?” Sakura asked, embarrassment replaced with concern. Itachi shrugged in response and turned around again, occupying himself with the now hot water. “That’s not healthy, you know! An adult of your age needs at least six hours of rest every night!” Sakura scolded him. 

“Says the medic who takes absurd shifts at the hospital.” Itachi replied smoothly. He placed two steaming cups on a tray and made his way back to the living room. Sakura stood up, ready to follow him.

“I know I’m a hypocrite Itachi-san. Everyone is, deep down.” Sakura smiled, unbothered by his mild accusation. She took her spot on the armchair, gratefully accepting the tea Itachi offered her.

“I frequently stay up to work. Running a hospital in addition to my other duties at Akatsuki can be a handful. Especially when the hospital has a certain troublesome medic that likes to get herself in trouble whenever I look away.” Itachi shot Sakura a pointed look from the couch that had her huffing.

“I don’t look for trouble, it finds me!” Sakura protested vehemently. She saw Itachi smile at her and blushed, embarrassed that she succumbed to his obvious teasing. Bringing her cup to her lips, Sakura tried to hide her blush, avoiding Itachi’s gaze. 

He returned to the work in front him, typing on the laptop. Sakura placed down her cup, watching the enigmatic man in front of her. He could switch from a flirty mood to a serious one so quick and seamless that she couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. 

“Sakura-san, do you think that you can tell me about what happened?” Itachi spoke, closing down the lid of the laptop and turning his body slightly to face her, looking at her in a serious manner.

“About the accident? We didn't see much from the tent, just the usual shaking and panic and then…” Sakura thought to the earthquake, thinking about what happened and wondering why Itachi wanted to know about it. 

“No, Sakura-san, I'm interested in the assemblyman that accompanied you. What he said, who he met with, and what he did once the earthquake hit.” Itachi’s eyes had a dangerous gleam to them, like a cat planning to catch prey and Sakura was surprised. 

“I don't remember much, he didn't do anything that stood out to me, and I was busy with patients so I wasn't paying much attention to him anyways.” Sakura forced herself to go over all her interactions with the politician, wondering why Itachi was so interested. “Ah, I do know that once the earthquake hit, he and his assistant went missing, along with their car… You don't think he ran off as soon as tragedy hit while we chose to stay?” Sakura saw Itachi’s smirk widen and knew then that she had hit the proverbial nail. Itachi had only agreed to this collaboration to dig up dirt on the assemblyman. 

“That's very helpful, Sakura-san. I knew sending you was the right choice.” Itachi’s voice was low, sending a shiver down Sakura’s spine, and she tried hard to keep her composure, cursing the man and his sensuality. 

“Why?” Sakura asked, confused about the situation. She hadn't heard anything bad from the man, and he didn't do anything off during the time before the earthquake, leaving Sakura puzzled over Itachi’s interest in the man. 

“I'm afraid that I cannot share that with you, Sakura-san.” Swiftly getting up from his seat, Itachi took his computer and the papers to a bag, putting them all away. He turned to Sakura with a kind smile, all traces of his earlier mood gone. “Would you like me to drop you off at your house? So that you can clean up and rest in your own bed?” Itachi offered. 

“Yes, but it's so late that it's early… Isn't this inconvenient for you?” Sakura hesitated, part of her was desperate for her own home and her own space, but another part of her wanted to stay with Itachi longer, to spend more time with him. 

“Of course not. I'll have to head over to Headquarters to meet with Sasori, and your home is not too far off the path.” Itachi replied smoothly and Sakura nodded, seeing that even though he had offered her a choice, there was only one answer. 

Grabbing her things, Sakura followed Itachi out of his apartment, surprised at the fancy elevator, and heated garage. He led them to the car she was already familiar with, but she noticed that there were a few others, all in black, and all under Itachi’s apartment number. 

Admiring the empty streets, Sakura was content to spend the ride in silence, wondering about what sort of mysterious organization was Akatsuki, that bought hospitals at a whim, digged dirt on politicians and had a fleet of helicopters at their disposal. They were clearly rich and powerful people, and Sakura started to feel like perhaps the thought that she might have a chance with Itachi was nothing but an illusion. Their worlds were simply too far apart. 

* * *

 

 

Sakura was woken up by the ringing of her doorbell, she rolled out of bed, taking a glance at her phone, which informed her it was late afternoon. She sighed, not intending to sleep for that long. After Itachi had dropped her off so late, Sakura had taken a sad shower and gone straight to bed. Making her way over to the door, to investigate who was being so loud, Sakura felt her stomach complain severely over her lack of attention to it. She opened the door without checking to see who was her visitor first, only caring to make the loud ringing stop, and was surprised to see Hinata and Ino there, both of them carrying large bags.

“Finally, we’ve been waiting forever!” Ino complained, pushing past Sakura to go inside. Hinata stood still, looking at the pink haired woman with an embarrassed blush.

“Come on in.” Sakura muttered, standing aside to let Hinata in. With a polite bow, she entered, looking around curiously. It was the first time she visited Sakura’s home.

Sakura closed the door behind her hoping that Ino had food within the large bags. Turning around, she spotted her blonde friend in the kitchen, taking plates and placing food on them. Sakura smiled, no longer upset at her best friend for the rude awakening.

“Go turn on your TV to Ninjaflix and find me the corniest, sappiest romcom ever!” Ino yelled out. Sakura’s heart dropped. Something had clearly happened to Ino and Shikamaru, because this was obvious break up behavior. Knowing that she wouldn’t want to talk about it for a while, Sakura motioned for Hinata, who was still standing between the living room and the kitchen, unsure of what to do.

“Help me find something.” Sakura patted the space on the couch next to her. Hinata joined her and the two started looking through the offerings. “Has something happened at the hospital?” Sakura asked Hinata, who shrugged.

“I didn’t go in today. I met Ino at the grocery store and she dragged me here…” Hinata spoke in a low tone, still unsure about everything. Sakura nodded, knowing that Ino was an unstoppable force.

“Well, for now just relax and enjoy the food and the movie, Ino will talk to us when she’s ready.” Sakura advised Hinata, who nodded. Ino took several trips to join them, filling Sakura’s coffee table with plates filled with all sorts of food. Sakura started the movie and began to eat, joined by Hinata and Ino.

It took two movies for Ino to start talking. By then, the three women had finished almost everything set in front of them, and had watched two happy couples get together. 

“Sasori came to the hospital today, followed by that odious sister of his, who had the audacity to go see my Shika! She stepped in the lobby and the first thing she did was to go straight to him! So of course I followed her and found the two of them flirting in his office!” Ino started her rant. Sakura paused the third movie, which was only five minutes in to listen to her best friend. 

“And what did you do?” Hinata asked, in a scared tone.

“I barged in, of course! I worked so hard, okay! I’ve known Shikamaru since we both wore diapers! Just because that bitch and him had an on and off thing during high school, doesn’t mean that I’m going to let her destroy all my hard work! But then do you know what he did? He told me that I was being ridiculous, and asked me to leave! He said they were just friends! Did he not see the smirk on the cow’s face? Just friends my cat’s ass!” Ino’s voice started to falter at the end, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Sakura reached over to the stack of tissues, handing them over to Ino. Hinata was frowning herself.

“That’s not very nice…” She muttered. Sakura nodded. Although she knew Ino had probably made a scene and Shikamaru hated hysterics, she still thought that he should have handled it better.

“I just… Doesn’t he get it? I’ve loved him for years! Of course I’m going to be upset when he meets with the ex you know? Every guy has the one dangerous ex!” Ino complained, now crying unabashedly. Sakura got up from her spot to get the ice cream. She could still hear her sobs from the kitchen and Sakura was determined to pay a very angry visit to Shikamaru the following day. 

As she was looking for spoons, the phone she had placed in her pajama’s pocket began to buzz. Pulling it out, she was surprised that it was Itachi who was calling her.

“Hello?” Sakura answered cautiously, wondering why her President was calling her.

“Sakura-san? Is Yamanaka-san with you?” Itachi asked. Sakura took a second to answer, surprised at the unexpected topic.

“Yes… Why do you ask?” Sakura wondered. She balanced her phone between her ear and shoulder, making her way to the living room with the ice cream and the spoons. She deposited them in front of Hinata, who was now being hugged by Ino on the couch.

“Ah yes, I can hear that she’s upset.” Itachi’s voice had acquired an amused tone that didn’t sit well with Sakura. Taking her phone into her hand, she made her way back to the kitchen.

“That’s none of your business Itachi-san.” Sakura replied acerbically. 

“My apologies Sakura-san. You see I have a very upset Shikamaru with me and I find myself wondering how to deal with this situation…” Itachi replied, and Sakura smiled at the slightly unsettled undertone she detected in his voice. 

“How upset is he?” Sakura asked, curious at what Itachi was handling. She heard some movement from his side and a muttered word that she didn’t quite understand.

“Wha is it Itachiii, I tol you not to bother me cause women are so trouble -hic- some” Shikamaru slurred his words, causing Sakura to snort at his state. A second later, Itachi’s smooth voice returned.

“As you can see, very upset, Sakura-san.” Itachi commented in a disgruntled fashion.

“Bring him over to my place, Itachi-san.” Sakura instructed him, a plan beginning to form in her mind.

Returning to the living room, Ino was now attacking the ice cream with gusto, while Hinata watched on in a mix of amusement and disgust.

“Hinata-chan, do you have a way to get home? I can handle the rest.” Sakura smiled. Hinata nodded eagerly.

“Wah but I don’t want Hinata-chan to gooo!” Ino moaned. Sakura sat next to her best friend, pulling her in. 

“Yes you do. Poor Hinata-chan was so surprised, you dragged her here without any warning. Let her go home and rest, she was in a traumatic event so recently.” Sakura spoke, while motioning towards the door with her head. Hinata nodded and made her escape.

When the two were alone, Sakura began to clean up, as Ino watched from the couch.

“Why are you cleaning up, Sakura?” Ino asked.

“I’m having something delivered.” Sakura replied with a smile.

“Then you should change out of your pajamas unless you want to make this into a weird porn situation…” Ino snickered. Sakura blushed and rushed to her room, thanking Ino for reminding her.

As soon as Sakura stepped outside, in a more comfortable sweater dress and woolen thighs, the doorbell rang.

“Sakuraa! Your delivery is here! What is it, pizza?” Ino headed to the door, opening it before Sakura had a chance to intercept her. She closed the door immediately, seeing who was on the other side. “Sakura why did you order Shikamaru and Itachi?” Ino asked, getting upset.

“You should hear him out, he’s gotten himself shitfaced drunk over you, and you know very well what that means.” Sakura crossed her arms. Ino took a second to ponder the situation, and the doorbell rang again.

“How shitfaced drunk?” Ino asked, going through the steps of upset Shikamaru behavior.

“Very. Now go to your spot and let me deal with them.” Sakura pointed at the couch, and Ino followed her directions, allowing Sakura to open the door.

On the other side was a slouching Shikamaru, being held up by an appalled Uchiha. Sakura smiled at both of them, wishing she had thought to take a picture.

“Please come in.” She opened the door wider to let Itachi escort Shikamaru forcefully inside. Sakura pointed to the couch, and Itachi dropped his friend there, without much tact.

“Now what?” He asked, looking at Sakura.

“Ino s’that you?” Shikamaru asked, squinting at his couch companion.

“We go for a long walk or something. Let’s go.” Pulling Itachi out the door, Sakura left the two alone in her house, walking out with Itachi.

“Are you actually leaving the two of them alone in your house?” Itachi asked, surprised at Sakura’s behavior.

“Of course, shitfaced Shikamaru is a good sign for Ino, because it’s regretful Shikamaru, and she knows this. She’ll make him suffer, he’ll apologize and they’ll make up. They’re family to me, so I don’t mind.” Sakura shrugged, wondering what she’d do for the next couple hours. “You’re free to go, Itachi-san. I’ll probably head over to the bookstore a couple blocks away.” Reminding last night’s events, Sakura decided to offer him an out.

“I have my car, we can go anywhere you’d like, Sakura-san.” Itachi offered with a smile, surprising Sakura, who looked at him suspiciously.

“I’m sorry Itachi-san, but I think I’d rather stay here.” Sakura kept running over in her mind his fancy apartment, powerful friends and how different their lifestyles were. She didn’t want to keep playing around with him, just to get hurt in the end.

“Very well, then let us go to your bookstore.” Itachi nodded with a courteous tone. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. His phone rang, and the small inch of hope that Sakura felt was killed with the first ring. 

He pulled his phone out and frowned at it. He looked at Sakura in an apologetic manner, and she smiled, signalling that he should answer his phone. She turned around, starting to walk away from him, her heart breaking into small pieces. Itachi did not follow, and it was a lonely Sakura who arrived at the empty bookstore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This chapter is a couple days early since this weekend I'll be traveling to spend time with my family during the holiday season. I hope everyone has great holidays filled with joy and good fortune, and please look forward to the last chapter sometime next year! I love making that joke around this time of the year, I will try to get the last chapter out in the first of January, so we can start the year with some wonderful romance.


	4. Episode IV

Sakura breathed in deeply as soon as she made it back to the ER. She took a longer break after her earthquake experience, but she needed the extra time to sort her thoughts about Uchiha Itachi, and how she was ready to give up on him completely. Sakura noticed all of the nurses crowding around the station, and joined them, curious over what had all of them so enraptured.

_ Lastly, we had a surprise entrance in this year’s presidential race, Akatsuki CEO Nagato has become a dark horse, surprising everyone with his sudden and unexpected foray into politics. We’ve had time to interview a couple… _

Sakura stepped away from the TV, wondering why was it that Akatsuki seemed to be everywhere recently, especially when she wanted nothing to do with them. Looking around at the empty ER, Sakura decided to pay a visit to Tsunade, who she hadn’t been spending as much time with recently.

She found her mentor in her office, looking over a new research paper. The neuroscience ward also seemed to be empty, and Sakura sent a small prayer to the gods for blessing them with a empty hospital, which was always a good sign. 

“Shishou, can I come in?” Sakura asked, startling her mentor, who wasn’t expecting the young woman.

“Sakura! Of course, come in! Close the door behind you.” Tsunade invited her in with a warm smile, and Sakura started to feel better. “What brings you here?” Tsunade asked her as soon as Sakura had sat down in front of her.

“Ah just you know, we haven’t really talked in forever so you know…” Sakura shrugged, not having an exact reason to show up other than a need for human interaction.

“Good to see my apprentice hasn’t been too absorbed by her new beau to forget these old bones.” Tsunade smiled at Sakura, who had the opposite reaction she expected.

As Deputy Director, Tsunade made sure to pay close attention to the gossip mill, in order to know everything that was going on in the hospital, and Sakura’s supposed romance with Itachi had been a highlight since his appearance. They’d been seen heading home together, dancing at the party, and supposedly he’d dropped her off at her home at four in the morning once. Tsunade was so sure that they were dating that she had already been planning to use Sakura to get a new brain scanner that had just been released in the US.

“I don’t have a new beau, shishou.” Sakura pouted sadly. She had wanted to visit Tsunade to not think about Itachi.

“I’m sorry did you two break up? I heard that just recently our President was seen at your house.” Tsunade wondered if perhaps they had broken up then, because it had been unlike Sakura to take such an extended break.

“We were never together in the first place…” Sakura sighed. She placed her head down, hiding her face in her arms. Tsunade smiled sadly, running her fingers through her apprentice’s hair.

“Come on Sakura, I know you struggle with men, but even I can’t believe you didn’t seal the deal with Uchiha. He had a helicopter fleet to fly in and find you! If that’s not the action of a man in love, then I don’t know what is.” Tsunade said, surprised at her apprentice. Sakura raised her head to look at her mentor suspiciously.

“But he’s never said anything, no Sakura want to go out with me, or even done anything more scandalous like a kiss or something! He does all these fancy things, but then the next moment he’s super cold and polite and I don’t know! It’s hard and confusing okay!” Sakura burst out, suddenly upset. She didn’t understand the infuriating man, and she hated his routine of being hot and cold and confusing.

“Well you know my policy on that.” Tsunade smirked at her apprentice, who scoffed.

“I can’t just kick down his door and caveman him like you did to Jiraya-sensei.” Sakura crossed her arms, staring at her devious shishou skeptically. In her college years under Tsunade, she had forcefully initiated a relationship with the History Scholar Jiraya, and the two of them were still together.

“Who says you can’t? Okay, I know you very well, Sakura. And I know that you’re just awful at letting people know you like them. I watched so many boys crash at your kind smile that you give to everyone and lose hope because they didn’t think they were special. I saw the Hyuuga brat chase you around this hospital for a long time before you finally managed to realize he wanted you. Maybe you’ve just been doing the same to Uchiha. Smiling kindly, being your usual self, and he doesn’t realize that you like him, because you treat him the same way you do everyone.” Tsunade sighed, trying to impart one last thing upon her apprentice.

“I don’t do that…” Sakura pouted.

“Yes you do! You can’t get mad at him for being hot and cold with you when you’re doing the same to him. Go out there and be wild, Sakura. You’ll either get the man or break your face.” Tsunade got up, pulling Sakura out of her chair.

“I don’t want to break my face, though!” Sakura complained, being pulled to the door.

“At least then you’ll be properly rejected and you can move on. Now stop moping and go do something!” Tsunade pushed Sakura out of her office, feeling like a motherly bird that pushes its chick out of the nest to watch it fly.

“But shishou what do I do?” Sakura turned around to face her mentor with a pleading look.

“You’re a young, beautiful girl, go ask him out or something.” Tsunade waved Sakura off, closing the door in her face, leaving the poor girl alone.

Sakura walked back to the elevator in a dazed manner, still reeling from her master’s words. Tsunade was never kind to her, always preferring to knock sense into Sakura in the most brutal way possible. The elevator dinged, and Sakura was surprised to see Itachi inside. He smiled at her politely and Sakura tried to return the smile, but found that her mouth didn’t seem to be working properly.

Pushing the button for the ER, Sakura’s stomach seemed to drop as fast as the elevator and she was quickly growing nervous. The elevator stopped one floor before, and Itachi started to get out when Sakura stopped him.

“Itachi-san!” She called out to him. He turned to look at her, standing at the elevator doors.

“Yes?” He asked, staring at her curiously. Sakura bit her lip, avoiding looking at him. A second of silence passed and Itachi tilted his head. “Sakura-san?” He asked again.

“Would you go on a datewithme?” Sakura blurted out the last words, suddenly being scared. She looked at him anxiously, and found him smiling at her in a predatory manner.

“Of course. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 7.” Itachi stepped back, letting the elevator close on the shaken Sakura, who was still shocked at what had just happened.

“Oh my god…” She whispered. Her only reply was the ding of the elevator arriving at her floor.

* * *

 

_ The number you tried to reach is unavailable right now, please try again later. _

“Goddammit!” Sakura angrily stabbed her phone with her finger, ending the call. She’d been trying to call Ino all afternoon, and was met with the same infuriating robotic voice. Itachi would be showing up in a couple hours and Sakura had absolutely no idea on what to wear for the date.

Chewing her lip as she stared at the bright screen of her phone, Sakura distractedly swiped at her contacts list, wondering if there would be anyone else available. Eyes stopping in a particular name, she considered the pros and cons before hitting dial.

“Hello?”

“Naruto I need your help.” Sakura pleaded. She knew Naruto had today off, and he was her only hope. Perhaps not the best hope, but she trusted that he’d at least do his best.

“Eh, but Sakura-chan it’s my day off…” Frowning at her phone, Sakura wondered why Naruto wasn’t agreeing immediately. He’d never done that before.

“It’s a life or death matter Naruto!” She cried, frantically drumming her fingers on the table near her.

“Alright, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Naruto’s tone turned serious and he hung up. Sakura worried that perhaps he might be upset whenever he arrived, but she quickly discarded that, deciding she had much more important things to do. Opening her closet, she took out the makeup set she had bought and some of the clothes Ino had left there for her. Sakura paced around anxiously, looking at everything she had available and wondering if perhaps she should have gone shopping for something new.

The doorbell rang, signalling Naruto’s arrival and Sakura rushed over to open the door, but was surprised to find both Naruto and Hinata on the other side, looking worried.

“What’s the problem, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, looking her over for any injuries and Sakura immediately started to feel bad.

“Were you two on a date?” She asked, and Hinata’s sudden blush and Naruto’s smirk were all the answer she needed. “Well, now I feel like a bitch…” Sakura sighed. She allowed them in, treading after them dejectedly.

“What happened here? It looks like someone tried to break into your room…” Naruto looked at the mess that was Sakura’s usually pristine home curiously. Hinata smiled slightly, having a clue at what was happening.

“Did you not manage to contact Ino, Sakura? And now you’re panicking because you don’t know what to wear to your date with Uchiha-sama?” Hinata asked Sakura in a low tone, but Naruto still heard it.

“Whaat? Sakura-chan you’re going on a date with him? And this is your life and death situation?” Naruto turned to face the two women, arms crossed and a frown on his usually happy face.

“Now, Naruto-kun, what to wear on a first date is a life and death situation… I spent six hours on my outfit the first time we went out together.” Hinata smiled wisely, and Sakura suddenly felt like maybe she should have called Hinata instead of Naruto. He let out a long sigh, but conceded.

“I’ll be here in the living room while you two do your… girl stuff.” He relented, settling on the couch. “But Sakura-chan, next time see if you can’t get your fancy boyfriend to get us in that new fancy ramen place that opened up downtown. I want dibs on first double date so I can hold it over Ino for the next year.” Naruto grinned and Sakura smiled back at him. She felt lucky to have such wonderful friends.

“It’s a deal.” She agreed, pulling Hinata into her room.

By the time the doorbell rang again, Sakura still wasn’t quite ready, and Hinata sent Naruto to answer the door. He did so with pleasure, grinning at the puzzled look on Itachi’s face when he opened the door.

“Sakura-chan’s still not ready so I’m your welcome committee, Uchiha.” Naruto invited him in, directing him towards the kitchen, so the two girls wouldn’t be able to hear their next words. “I’m sure you remember me, since I was close to your brother when we were younger, so it’s my duty as Sakura-chan’s big brother figure to let you know that if you treat her wrong, make her cry or be an asshole like Sasuke-teme, I will find you and I will kill you, and nobody will ever find your body. I promise your organs will be used towards keeping much better people alive.” Naruto smiled, knowing very well that as the best surgeon in the country, he could follow up on his promise easily.

“It seems you’ll have to get in line. This is the fourth threat directed at me today.” Itachi did not look impressed and Naruto smiled, knowing that the death threats weren’t going to stop with him either.

“Well, it’s Sakura-chan. Everyone loves her.” Naruto shrugged, heading back to the couch, followed by Itachi.

“Indeed.” Muttered the Uchiha.

It took only a few minutes for Sakura to finally be ready, wearing a pretty red dress and matching red low heeled wedges. It highlighted her hourglass figure, and she held a light woolen shawl in her arm, with her purse. Her short hair was parted sideways, giving her a more elegant look. Hinata followed her with a small measure of pride and joy, having had fun bonding with Sakura in that manner. The pinkette had promised to include her next time she and Ino went out, and Hinata was looking forward to it.

“Sorry I’m late.” Sakura blushed slightly, looking at Itachi’s feet, as she was too embarrassed to face him.

“Good things come to those who wait.” Itachi smiled slightly. Next to him Naruto rolled his eyes as Hinata giggled. The four of them headed off, Sakura again apologizing for having interrupted Naruto and Hinata’s date, but her apologies were waved off, and soon the two couples split, each one headed to a different destination.

Sakura noticed that today Itachi was using his usual SUV, and wondered which car he tended to prefer. He had the same low classical music playing, and she noticed they were headed downtown.

“Where are we going?” Sakura asked. She hoped that if he had made reservations, her delay hadn’t lost them.

"One of my favorite places. It’s a Chinese restaurant near the downtown area, I discovered it in high school.” Itachi answered, and Sakura nodded. He stopped by a large building by the docks. It looked suspicious, like a front for a chinese mafia hub. She hesitated slightly when exiting the car, but decided to trust Itachi.

He led them to the door, which opened to a nicely decorated lobby, filled with mirrors, marble and fancy lights. A young hostess led them to one of several empty tables by the large windows that overlooked the lake. Sakura noticed that everything inside was of very high quality, and was surprised to see so few patrons.

“I recommend the Beijing Duck, it’s quite flavorful.” Itachi spoke, and Sakura nodded, reading the menu over. She’d always liked chinese, and had rarely seen so many options offered. 

“I think I’ll have that, and some water.” She smiled at the waitress, who nodded at her. Itachi ordered a chicken plate for himself, with sparkling water, and they were left alone.

Leaning in slightly, Sakura spoke in a hushed tone: “Why are there so few people here?” She asked.

“Not many people know exists. This used to be a front for the Chinese Mafia.” Itachi smiled mischievously, and Sakura gaped at him. She couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Akatsuki took the leader down and his wife decided to follow her dream of opening a restaurant. They have a small but dedicated clientele.”

“Seriously? But you said you found this place in high school, wasn’t Akatsuki just founded a few years ago?” Sakura asked, frowning slightly at him.

“Officially yes, Akatsuki hasn’t existed for that long.” Itachi nodded at Sakura, who crossed her arms.

“Well then answer me this, and it’s important that you do: what is Akatsuki?” She asked filled with suspicion.  


“We’re a small, but dedicated collection of individuals whose goals are to create a better Japan, capable of being a strong power in the global world.” Someone that wasn’t Itachi answered. 

Sakura turned to find the man she had seen on TV, Nagato, accompanied by the supermodel Konan. The two of them were standing by their table, looking down on them. Seeing them in the flesh gave Sakura goosebumps, there was something so intimidating about the man in front of her that she felt unsettled.

“Hello Itachi-san. Is this the girl Sasori-san spoke of?” Konan smiled at Itachi, who nodded. 

“Pein-sama, Konan-san, this is Haruno Sakura, my date for this evening.” Itachi introduced her. Sakura found herself blushing, and looked down.

“I see, we’ll leave you two to it. I look forward to seeing you in future gatherings, Haruno-san.” Konan smiled at Sakura who was still too overwhelmed by everything happening to be able to do more than nod.

The power couple left them alone, and Sakura finally found the courage to look at Itachi, who seemed a little too pleased with himself.

“W-what? What does she mean by future gatherings? Am I going to be forced to show up to win their approval?” Sakura asked, stammering.

“I think that’s quite obvious, Sakura-san. Konan-san has expressed a desire to meet with you in the past. She is simply taking advantage of the opportunity. ” Itachi answered smoothly.

“Konan, the Konan wanted to meet me!?” Sakura squeaked, completely flabbergasted.

“Word of my interest in you might have gotten out of hand, and it seems that the general impression is that I fell in love with you when you were my little brother's friend in high school.” Itachi supported his head on his hand, staring straight at Sakura, who looked at the man in front of her in shock.

“That’s both creepy and crazy, Itachi-san.” Sakura answered. Part of her wondered if perhaps she should run away now.

“So I’ve been told.” Itachi sighed. Sakura smiled slightly at his dejected tone, finding the situation was slowly becoming funny. The picture of a man like Itachi, powerful, sexy and handsome pining over her was absurd.

“This story isn't actually true though, right?” Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

Their food arrived, interrupting their conversation as the waitress laid down the plates in front of them. As soon as she was gone, Itachi picked up the thread Sakura left hanging.

“Of course not. I simply mentioned once to my cousin that you were pretty. The rest is all other's inventions.” Itachi answered smoothly as he started to sample his meal. “I'm not in the habit of falling madly in love with a high school girl I only saw once.” Itachi sounded slightly indignant, and Sakura started laughing.

“Itachi-san, suddenly you went from cool and mysterious to simply awkward and socially inept. I must admit your image took quite the hit tonight.” Sakura spoke, still giggling. She started to work on her own food, smiling more once she noticed the mild frown Itachi threw her way. “It’s not a bad thing, it makes you more approachable.” Sakura reassured him.

The conversation died off slightly as the two of them focused on the delicious meals in front of them. Sakura appreciated the silence as she savored her duck, throwing the occasional glance at the man in front of her. She found herself being more comfortable in his presence, now that she saw that he wasn’t as perfect as she once thought him to be. 

“So who was it that called you creepy and crazy before me, Itachi-san?” Sakura asked in a teasing tone. 

“Kisame. He was the only one who knew of my interest towards you. Although I suppose Sasori did too, considering how busy he kept me all the time.” Itachi complained and Sakura smiled knowingly. She knew that although Sasori left Gaara the job of chasing away boys, he was just as determined as his older brother.

“That would be very much like him.” Sakura smiled, taking a sip of her water. Suddenly a thought popped into her head. “Did you take the job at the hospital because of me?” She asked, teasing him.

“Of course not, I simply volunteered as I believed that I would be the most indicated to run a hospital.” Itachi shrugged. Sakura smiled, knowing that even though he did not want to admit it, it might have factored in his decision.

“Why did you guys buy a hospital, anyways? Does it have something to do with the presidential race?” Sakura asked, looking at the table where Nagato and Konan were sitting.

“Yes. It’s what kept me so busy. Launching a presidential candidate, terminating a drug cartel and running a hospital is no easy task.” Itachi spoke in a low tone. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

“Drug cartel? Are you talking about that Elysium drug? I did wonder why we hadn’t seen any patients come in for the past month or so.” Sakura began to fully understand how far Akatsuki’s reach was. Well, as long as their goals are pure, Sakura thought, I don’t mind them.

“Indeed. You saving that man was a great help. Through him we were able to track down distributors and the main manufacturer, Orochimaru Chemicals. Which we found due to the cancer patients you identified. Why Sakura-san, you practically did all the work for us.” Itachi smiled at the surprised Sakura. She didn’t know, but he had heightened the hospital security exponentially since the attack on her, in order to protect the woman who had handed them a large victory on a silver platter.

“I didn’t know…” Sakura muttered. They finished their meal, and the waitress brought the dessert menu, which Sakura perused intently. She settled for a sweet sesame roll, and Itachi matched her order. Sakura admired the view from the window, thinking that dating a member from a shadowy organization intent on nation control might be a little too much for her.

“Sakura-san?” Itachi drew her attention, and she looked at him analytically, weighing the pros and cons of potentially dating him. While he would probably always be busy, be involved in weird businesses and do dangerous things, he was also a good man, who treated everyone fairly, helped a young boy buy a gift for his sick mom and conjured a helicopter fleet to rescue her from a disaster site.

“Yes?” Sakura answered, her decision made.

Itachi closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. “Would you perhaps be interested in pursuing this dating avenue further?” He asked. Sakura saw fear in his eyes, and smiled reassuringly.

“Yes. But you have to promise me one thing. If your job ever puts you in any danger, you have to let me know. No risking your life in secret.” Sakura answered, her heart beating a thousand miles per minute.

“I wouldn’t risk my life. I’d never let any situation get to that point in the first place.” Itachi answered pridefully, causing Sakura to laugh at him.

“Itachi-san you’re really confident in your abilities, aren’t you?” Sakura teased him, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Itachi smirked at her, reaching across the table to take her hand.

“We’re a dating now, Sa-ku-ra. You should drop the honorifics.” He purred. Sakura blushed, looking down at their interlaced hands.

Their moment was broken when the waitress returned with their desserts. Sakura tried to pull her hand away, but Itachi held it firm, not embarrassed by the public display of affection, causing her to blush even more.

“Itachi, I hope you’re not planning on behaving like this at the hospital what will everyone think?” Sakura spoke in a low tone, but Itachi simply smiled.

“They’ll be jealous of you, probably.” He answered and Sakura rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t you too full of yourself? There will probably be people jealous of you.” Sakura poked out her tongue at him slightly, quickly withdrawing it when he tried to grab it.

“Not to gloat my dear, but I do believe I have more admirers than you.” Itachi spoke, shamelessly gloating about it.

“That’s only because we have more female nurses than male ones, darling.” Sakura scoffed. A thought popped into her head and she started giggling. “Neji-san would probably have an aneurysm.” She smiled at the thought.

“Your mentor will probably try to sell you out for some new equipment…” Itachi smirked and Sakura nodded, knowing her shishou very well.

“Be nice to her, she was the one who told me to take the initiative and ask you out.” Sakura smiled at the sigh Itachi released.

“I suppose I can invest in some upgrades for the neuroscience division...”

* * *

 

 

“Sakura! Sakura where are you?” Ino barged into Sakura’s office the following day, looking breathless. Sakura looked up from her resident reports, having just finished the last one.

“What’s up pig?” Sakura asked, wondering what had her best friend so worked up.

“Why is it that I just heard from Shikamaru, who heard from Naruto that you went on a date with Uchiha Itachi? Why did I not hear this directly from you, oh traitorous best friend of mine?” Ino dramatically sat down, telling her story in a lamurious tone.

“Because my absent best friend didn’t answer her phone at all for the past two days? I had a major dressing crisis and I ended up calling Naruto for help. He was on a date with Hinata, who ended up helping me find an outfit, which by the way we should start inviting her to more girl things, I really do like her a lot.” Sakura answered, rolling her eyes at her friend’s antics.

“I was taking a bath and I dropped my phone, it’s been on the repair shop. But still you could have come to my office or called Shikamaru’s phone. And of course we’ll invite her, after she witnessed my breakup breakdown the other day, she’s part of the sisterhood now. That’s in the past, tell me everything Forehead Girl!” Ino leaned forward, resting her head on her hands, eagerly looking at Sakura, who smiled.

“Well, he took me to this great chinese place that used to be a mafia front, then we met his boss who is dating Konan the supermodel, and we talked and we’re now pursuing a dating avenue.” Sakura answered, deciding to leave out any talk of Akatsuki, since that would just drive Ino crazy. She figured that she could wait until they were further along in the relationship to tell Ino about his involvement in a shady organization intent on national domination. 

“Oh my god, that’s so romantic. What’s next? Did you guys kiss? Make out? Have sex? Is he as much of a god as he looks, c’mon don’t leave me hanging!” Ino’s eyes had acquired a desperate shine, that had Sakura raising her eyebrows.

“He just dropped me off at my place and that was it.” Sakura answered truthfully. At the time she had been too busy being awkward and embarrassed to think about a kiss.

“What? For real? Forehead Girl you’re so bad at this!” Ino moaned, cursing Sakura’s inability for romance.

“Hey! He’s just as bad as I am okay! Once you get to know him he’s kind of just a bit of an awkward cookie.” Sakura crossed her arms, annoyed that Ino would blame only her.

“Awkward Cookie?” A third voice had both women shifting their gaze towards the door, where Uchiha Itachi stood, leaning against the frame with an amused smile. Ino smirked, and Sakura looked ready to hide under her desk.

“My, Uchiha-sama what brings you down here?” Ino spoke in flirtatious tone.

“Sakura-san is late on her resident reports yet again, so I’ve come to procure them myself.” Itachi smiled, entering the office. 

“Now now, one of her residents is known for being bad at turning in paperwork, don’t be too mean to her, Uchiha-sama. I’ll be heading back to my own office, bye bye Sakura!” Ino quickly made her exit giggling all the way out, making sure to close the door behind her.

“I’m not late on my reports. They’re due at six, and it’s only five now.” Sakura pouted.

Itachi looked at his wristwatch curiously. “Well, it seems my watch is wrong, I wonder why.” He spoke. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

“Itachi the entire hospital already knows we’re dating, you don’t need to make up reasons to come see me.” Sakura frowned, getting up from her chair.

“I wasn’t sure, last night you gave me the impression you wouldn’t appreciate public displays of affection at work.” He answered seriously. Sakura sighed, stepping closer to him.

“Well, as long as we’re not being unprofessional, I don’t mind.” Sakura stood in front of him nervously. After hearing Ino, she did want to kiss him, but she didn’t know how to proceed.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Itachi leaned in, closing the gap between them, touching his lips to her own. Sakura finally understood why people used fireworks to describe kisses, as the feeling was explosive, addictive and unforgettable. She placed her hands on his shoulder, pulling herself closer to him. He answered by placing his own hands around her waist.

Itachi had just nibbled on the corner of her mouth when her office door slammed open by one of her nurses, who stood there, shocked for a second. The couple split, Sakura blushing wildly and Itachi smirking just as much.

“Uh we have a couple code reds incoming… Traffic accident…” The nurse muttered, her eyes still the size of saucers.

“I’ll be right there.” Sakura nodded. The nurse slowly backed off, leaving the two alone again. “I should go, the reports are on my table.” Sakura spoke, already entering medic mode. She quickly grabbed the stethoscope on her desk, hanging it around her neck.

“Of course. Come by my office when you’re done with your shift and I’ll drive you home.” Placing a last peck on her lips, Itachi let her go, watching her leave. He lingered for a second longer, smiling at the memory of the kiss they shared. Taking the reports from her desk, he stepped out of her office, sparing a look at the ER, where Sakura was barking out orders, as she leaned over a bleeding body.

 

* * *

 

Dating Uchiha Itachi didn't change Sakura’s life as much as she thought it would. There wasn't an explosion of gossip in the hospital, since it seemed everyone thought they were already together. She didn't see Itachi around the workplace more than usual, since he respected her desire for discretion. They didn't even eat together often due to Sakura’s ER schedule. In fact, in the past three weeks since they began dating, they only went out once, and Sakura called it early as she had felt too tired from a double shift. 

“I don't understand why you're so upset. You're both very busy individuals, and it looks to me as if he's trying to respect your space.” Hinata commented. Sakura had taken her break to visit Hinata's office in search of paperwork related to a patient they shared, and had ended up talking about her budding relationship with the President. 

“I know but I don't know… I

I feel like I want more… How do you and Naruto make it work?” Sakura asked, knowing that both Pediatrics and Surgery had to be as demanding as ER. 

“We find time whenever we can. Yesterday Naruto was pulling the graveyard shift, so I came in extra early bringing him some homemade breakfast and a fresh set of clothes. We ate together. He's coming to pick me up for an early dinner before his next shift.” Hinata smiled, thinking of how tired she had been waking up at 3 to make food for her boyfriend, but when she had seen his tired eyes gain new life at the sight of her, she felt it had been worth it. 

“That's very sweet, actually.” Sakura muttered. 

“The key is communication, you have to talk to him and figure out what works. But for that, maybe you should take some time to find out what you want.” Hinata smiled and Sakura, who nodded with a sniffle. 

“Thanks Hinata. You're so much better at this thoughtful thing than Ino. She'd tell me to have sex with him on his office or something.” Sakura laughed, and Hinata joined in with a small giggle. Gathering the papers she had come for, Sakura headed out, thinking that her legs felt heavier than usual. 

As she went through the rest of the day, Sakura could feel the familiar symptoms of a cold beginning to settle in, dulling her senses, weighing her muscles and clogging her pathways. Changing some schedules around, Sakura gave herself a day off to rest, and it was an exhausted Sakura that slowly made her way to her car. 

When she got to the garage, she found Itachi down there, scrolling through something on his phone, leaning against his own black suv. 

“Itachi, what are you doing here?” Sakura perked up, trying to not look too sick, she knew he'd worry over her and she was certain she'd be just fine with some rest. 

“I saw you change your shift around and I wanted to take you out to dinner. Perhaps discuss a possibility of something tomorrow afternoon?” Itachi smiled at her and Sakura found herself smiling back sadly. 

“That's um…” She tried to think of something to excuse her but before she could say anything, she started coughing. Itachi rushed to her side, gently patting her back. 

“Sakura you…” Moving his hand from her back to her forehead, Itachi frowned. “You're very hot, do you have a fever?” He asked, filled with concern. 

“I think it's just a cold. I'll be fine with rest, food and medicine.” Sakura smiled at him. Itachi nodded. 

“I'll take you home. Come.” Guiding her to his car, Itachi quickly settled her in, making sure to turn the heat a little higher. Sakura could feel the worry radiating off of him, and felt slightly touched by it. 

“Are you stalking me, by the way? I changed those shifts just a little bit ago…” She looked at him with a smirk. 

“Of course not, it was a complete coincidence that I happened to check your shifts for the next few days.” Itachi smiled in a way that betrayed the innocent tone in his voice. 

“You can always just ask me and I'll share them with you myself. If you have something in mind, I don't even mind adjusting or moving some things around.” Sakura muttered, thinking of what Hinata said. When she thought about it, she and Itachi didn't really share much of their day to day, and she wanted that to happen. “You can tell me your stuff too, I don't mind waiting a little to match your schedule. Or arriving early…”

“I… I did not wish to burden you by forcing you to put me above your work. I know you love what you do.” Itachi spoke. Sakura looked at him, but he kept a straight face, staring at the road ahead. 

“It's not about one over the other, Itachi. It's about getting them to work together.” Sakura smiled, and she was satisfied to see the small tilt of his own lips. 

Arriving at her house, Sakura started to feel sad for their moment together coming to an end, but was happy to see Itachi park the car and get out with her. 

“Can I come in?” He asked, and Sakura nodded, opening the door and leaving it open to him behind her. She made her way to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen, and was sad to see that she was out of cold ones. 

Opening her fridge, Sakura was again met with emptiness and she let out a long sigh. Itachi, who had been watching her, approached Sakura, pulling her in for a hug. 

“Take a warm shower and go lay down. I'll go buy some food and medication for you.” Itachi spoke, gently running his fingers on Sakura’s hair. 

“I don't want to trouble you…” She muttered, her words muffled by his chest. 

“It's no trouble to take care of something precious to me. I'll take your keys so you can fall asleep. Go.” Breaking their embrace, Itachi gently nudged Sakura in the direction of her room. He waited until she was inside to collect her keys and leave. 

Sakura took a long warm bath, and emerged feeling much better than she did before. Putting on something cute but comfortable, she followed the sounds coming from her kitchen to find Itachi fast at work, using tools she didn't remember owning. 

“What are you doing?” Sakura asked, peeking at the pot of soup that smelled wonderful. 

“Chicken soup for the ill. My mother's recipe. Go lay down, and I'll bring it to you along with your medicine.” Itachi turned around to push Sakura away. 

With a pout, Sakura decided to settle on the couch, where she could still see Itachi move around her kitchen as if he owned it. She didn't even notice she had fallen asleep until she felt a weight next to her. 

Opening her eyes, Sakura saw Itachi sitting at the edge of the couch, looking down at her, his own dark eyes almost hidden by his long eyelashes. 

“Can you sit up? You need to eat.” 

Nodding, Sakura sat up and took the bowl of soup laid before her, tackling it with a empty stomach. It was delicious, and Sakura made sure to bestow on the smiling chef many compliments. 

“It was really good, I should get sick more often so you'll make me more.” Sakura smiled at Itachi as soon as she had finished. 

“Then it's good I made extra and stored it in your fridge. You can heat it up tomorrow.” He returned her smile, getting up from his place on the couch. 

“Wait.” Sakura took his hand, preventing him from leaving. “Stay. My couch is big and we can watch something together… We don't need to be somewhere or do something special to qualify as a date… This is good enough for me. We should um… Make time, to spend time together.” Sakura spoke, blushing wildly. Itachi sat down with a satisfied smile. 

“So you're giving me permission to find you whenever we're both free. Just to spend time with you?” Itachi asked, leaning in to Sakura, who leaned back slightly, feeling as if she had just sold her soul to the devil. 

“Yes…?” She hesitated. 

“Wonderful.”

  
“Hinata he's everywhere! He knows all my breaks, all my lunch times and he insists in driving me to and from work! I haven't used my car in weeks!” Sakura moaned, complaining to the girl she was walking with. 

“If he's being too much, you should tell him…” Hinata tried to offer her earnest advice. 

“That's the worst part.” Sakura pouted. “Whenever I start to feel like it's too much he stops. Just to pick it up again later. It's like he can read my mind or something…” Sakura wondered not for the third or fourth time whether Itachi could hear her mind. Whenever she wanted to spend time with Ino or Hinata he didn't show up, but if she was alone, he was invariably there. 

“So you're not complaining?” Hinata asked, confused. 

“I am, but I'm not. Does that make sense?” Sakura smiled brightly at the confused girl. 

The two of them were headed to another staff meeting, one called by Itachi. 

“I don't know…”

“Don't worry about it. Listen Itachi got the reservations for the fancy ramen place Naruto wanted to go to. I'll text you the details after this meeting and we'll have that first double date?” Sakura asked, accompanying Hinata down the stairs, looking for a place to sit among the crowded auditorium. 

“Of course. I'm sure he'll be very happy.” Hinata pointed to two seats next to Tenten, who greeted them with a smile. 

“Hey Sakura, why did your boy toy call us here?” Tenten asked the blushing Sakura. 

“We don't really talk much about work…” Sakura pouted. 

“Ah too busy putting your mouths to other uses?” Tenten puckered to Sakura, who squeaked. Besides them, Hinata blushed.

Their banter was interrupted by Itachi’s arrival. 

“You're all here. Good. As your President I have come to talk about this past year and some changes we'll be making in the next one…”

Sakura watched the presentation with a smile, not paying any attention to what he was saying, for her mind was filled with thoughts about the speaker. Besides, she knew that she could just repeat tradition and barge into his office later, since he always ended up kissing her when she did. 

 

* * *

 

 

"You know Sakura-chan, your boyfriend might be weird, bossy and mean, but he's not too bad." Naruto spoke in between loud slurps, causing Sakura to glare at him. Paying her promise to Naruto, she had asked Itachi to secure them a spot at the new fancy ramen place, and they were now being forced to watch Naruto empty his third bowl. Even though she was used to Naruto's ramen-eating, she was still disgusted by it.

"I'm neither mean nor weird, Uzumaki." Itachi spoke in a clipped tone. Sakura and Hinata shared a smile when they noticed he did not refute the bossy part.

"Don't worry, Naruto was just close to your younger sibling so he's biased." Sakura smiled at her boyfriend, shifting her position so she'd be closer to him.

"Ah yes, my foolish little brother." Itachi nodded with a smirk, remembering very well the many times Sasuke had Naruto over.

"Gotta say tho, teme was wrong. You can date him, Sakura-chan." Naruto finished the last of his broth, and stared at all the surprised looks directed at him. "What? Did you all expect me to never accept him or something? What do you all take me for? An Anime character?" Naruto pouted. 

"Of course not, nobody would want to watch an Anime with you as the main character." Sakura laughed, and everyone joined her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this short story is over. I might post additional ones as part of a series, but as I have nothing prepared, they might be a while. Thank you all for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed the adorable adventures of Sakura and Itachi.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading this first chapter, this is my new AU work, featuring Sakura and Itachi, it's inspired by many romantic comedy stories, and it doesn't have much of an overarching plot, just a very character-centric style, with lots of dialogue and interaction between our main characters. There won't be too many chapters, but they'll probably be about the same size as this one, with a similar style. Updates will probably be every couple weeks, as it's not completely finished and proofread yet. I hope everyone has had fun and please look forward to the next chapter, coming out soon!


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